Snap Decision
by NikkiB1973
Summary: This is my Christmas story set in New Moon AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-this is my Christmas story. Set at the end of New Moon AU.**_

Jacob was obsessively checking the flight schedules again. There was one due in just a few hours from now. Bella could be on it. She would be scared, of course she would be scared. She might be hurt-he tried not to think about that. She had to be alive. He knew she was alive. He would focus on that. If the bloodsucker was dead-god he longed for that-then she would be very upset, distraught in fact. It would break her even more than his leaving already had. But Jacob knew he could put her back together. He could fix her again. He had already done it once. He could do it again. It would just take time and a lot of patience. And he was an expert at being patient. Hadn't he waited months already?

"Jake, let it go." Sam did little to hide his impatience.

Jacob felt his fist clench as he glanced over his shoulder at his Alpha. Uley had done nothing but try and quash any attempt to go after Bella. His stance was that it was her decision to go off with the little psychic leech. She was no longer their concern.

"When she gets off that plane, she'll be looking for me. I need to be there." Jacob answered through gritted teeth.

Sam sighed heavily. He had been trying to get through Jacob's hard head for the last day and a half that Bella was never coming back from her suicide mission. If Edward Cullen wasn't already dead when she got to Italy, then she would soon be joining him. He felt Emily come up beside him and look sympathetically in Jacob's direction. She had warned him to be careful with the young shifter. It was his first heart break and they needed to be gentle. Sam took the opposite view, but he took her advice, assuming that women were naturals when it came to affairs of the heart.

"Look, Jake, you can't keep doing this to yourself." Sam gentled his tone. "I get how hard this is for you- "

"I'm going to the airport." Jacob cut in harshly.

"What? Why?" Sam exclaimed in disbelief.

"This flight comes in at nine. If I leave now, I'll just make it in time."

Sam stared at Jacob as if he was crazy. The kid had lost it. "You can't stake out the airport, Jake. You're being ridiculous."

"Like I care what you think." Jacob muttered sarcastically. He rose from the table, getting ready to leave on his foolhardy mission.

"Sam!" Emily whispered urgently. She nudged him with her elbow, looking at him meaningfully. "You can't let him go alone."

"He's not going at all. I'll order him to stay put if I have to." Sam whispered back irritably.

"No, you can't do that!" Emily replied, appalled. "He needs a friend right now, not an Alpha. He needs to do this, Sam. He won't rest easy until he's tried. Go with him."

"You can't be serious?" Sam questioned as he peered into Emily's liquid brown eyes.

"Deadly." Emily's serious expression dissolved into a wry smile. Her smile was crooked, the scars on the damaged part of her face twisting her mouth to one side. "You would do the same if it was me." She finished quietly.

Sam felt the familiar stranglehold of guilt tug at his heartstrings. There was no way he could resist her request and it wasn't just because she was his imprint. It was because what she said was true. He loved her to the moon and back and would travel just as far to get her back if he lost her. "Okay." He agreed, bending his head to kiss her scarred cheek tenderly. He let his lips linger for a while before stepping back and rearranging his features into his usual stern mask. "Jacob, wait, I'm coming with you."

"What?" Jacob spun around in the doorway of the little cabin in surprise. "Why would you do that?"

"Because you'll need back up if the vamps are with her." Sam responded abruptly. "In fact, we're all going."

Jacob struggled to respond as his wrung-out emotions flooded to the surface. "Thank you." He said roughly.

"Don't thank me yet." Sam thought as he ducked down and kissed Emily goodbye. He still believed that Bella Swan was already dead.

* * *

Bella was too wired to sleep. She was already on her fourth coke. She was desperate to keep awake. Edward her already voiced his disapproval several times, he knew her low tolerance for caffeine. They had only been reunited for a short time but he was already falling into old habits, thinking he knew what was best for her, but he didn't have a fucking clue. The short flight to Rome had gone so fast there had been no time to process anything.

"You need to sleep, Bella." Edward chided her again when she reached for her fifth can of Coke.

"I don't want to sleep." She reminded him rather sharply. "If I close my eyes now, I'll see things I don't want to see. I'll have nightmares."

Edward's eyes flashed with guilt. He didn't argue with her after that. Bella was dreading the next section of the long journey home. There would be a long uninterrupted block of time ahead of them. It would be a good opportunity to talk, to get the answers she needed-needed but no longer really wanted. She was already despairing of what she might hear, or the questions he might ask her. There was no way she could escape him on an airplane.

* * *

Bella kept chugging down the soda. It was late, the other passengers on the plane were turning off their lights and asking for pillows in muted voices. Edward held her in his arms, his fingers tracing her face again and again. The contrast of his cold touch compared to Jacob's was striking. She couldn't help but compare the two, though it was agonising thinking about her more than best friend right now.

The last time she had seen Jacob he had been begging her to stay. She had been forced to ignore his pleas, there was no way she could let Edward die. She would never have been able to live with herself if she hadn't at least made an attempt to save him from himself. Bella would have done the same for Jacob, but she could see by the tortured look on his face that he didn't believe that. All he knew was that she was abandoning him like Edward abandoned her. She just hoped he would forgive her once she explained. That is if he gave her the chance to explain. If he didn't then she would stake out his house until he listened.

Edward continued to kiss her hair, her forehead, her wrists. He never tried to kiss her on the lips. It was lucky for her that he didn't. She would have punched him and ended up breaking every bone in her hand. Her heart was racing. She had lived through a lot that should have finished her in the last few days, but instead of feeling strong, she felt horribly fragile, like one more thing could shatter her.

Thankfully Edward kept his mouth shut. Bella didn't think she could have done the same if he had spoken to her. She won the fight against her heavy lids. She was awake when they reached the airport in Atlanta, and she even watched the sun beginning to rise over Seattle's cloud cover before Edward cruelly sild the window shut and blocked her view of the one thing that reminded her of Jacob.

Neither Alice nor Edward showed any surprise at the reception that waited for them at Sea Tac airport, but it caught Bella off guard. Jasper was the first one she saw-he didn't seem to see her at all. His eyes were only for Alice. She went quickly to his side; they didn't embrace like an ordinary couple. They only stared into each other's faces like a pair of living statues. "Idiots." Bella thought testily. She was desperate to keep moving.

Carlisle and Esme waited in a quiet corner far from the metal detectors, in the shadow of a wide pillar. Esme tried to reach for Bella, but she sidestepped her, unwilling to share an affectionate hug with Edward's pretend mother. Esme had fucked off and abandoned her just like the rest of the damn family. Bella was in no mood to play happy families.

"Thank you, Bella." Esme said awkwardly, wearing a watery smile to hide her hurt.

Bella didn't give a shit. She stared at the beautiful woman with a neutral expression as she watched Esme throw her arms around Edward. "You will never put me through that again." She scolded him fiercely.

Edward grinned, repentant. "Sorry, mom."

Carlisle hugged Edward too, his expression grave. He turned to Bella and this time he did smile. "Thank you, Bella. We owe you."

"I want to go home." She muttered rudely, not bothering to register his thanks. The sleepless night was suddenly overpowering. Her head felt disconnected from her body. But her heart, her heart was in a little redwood house in La Push.

"She's dead on her feet." Esme said, stating the obvious. "Let's get her home." She scolded Edward.

Home sounded like heaven right now. It was all Bella wanted. She stumbled, half blind, through the airport, Edward dragging her on one side and Esme on the other. She didn't know if Alice and Jasper were behind them or not, and neither did she care.

Bella lost the fight to keep her eyes open. Her lids fluttered closed as she practically sleep walked, putting one foot in front of the other by pure instinct. Her mind drifted, floating through the stratosphere until it landed on the Black's doorstep in La Push. She pictured herself knocking on the front door, her rehearsed apology to Jacob ready to spill from her lips once he opened the door. Why was he taking so long to answer, dammit? Was he making her wait on purpose to punish her?

"Open up!" She yelled as she smashed her hand on the impenetrable wood. "I know you're in there, Jake. Let me in!"

"Bells!"

Ah, that was better! Bella smiled as his strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her up and hauling her over his shoulder. Huh? What? That was undignified. What was he playing at? There were raised voices. All the blood was rushing to Bella's head from her upside-down position. She tried to open her eyes but her eyelids seemed stuck together with tiredness.

"Fuck off bloodsucker." Jacob swore. "We're taking her home."

"Language, Jake." Bella mumbled. He really did have a potty mouth sometimes. If Charlie heard him, he would not be impressed. She didn't remember hearing him swear so much before he phased. Maybe it was a wolf thing.

"You can't just come here and kidnap her." Edward's voice was pent up with frustration.

"Isn't that what the little pixie did when she took Bella to Italy to save your chilly ass?" Jacob retorted angrily. His body was shaking and Bella felt every tremor from her uncomfortable position hanging over his shoulder.

"Easy, Jake." Sam's voice was steady and calm as always.

What the hell did Uley think he was doing butting in on her reunion with Jake! This wasn't fair. She wanted them all to leave. She opened her mouth to protest but her throat was so dry nothing came out but a faint squeak. There were more raised voices. Carlisle made his presence known. He began to speak to Sam in hushed tones. Bella heard Sam invoke something about the treaty which made Carlisle back off. Edward immediately began to protest until Carlisle quietened him with a harsh reminder that he had no rights after what he had put them all through.

Bella yawned widely. "Home, Jeeves. I mean Jake." She mumbled when she felt him swing around and stride off into the house… or airport… or wherever. She was with him and they were somewhere. But at least they were somewhere together again. That was all that mattered.

Jacob carried Bella out of the airport like a caveman with her dangled over his shoulder. The pack surrounded him like a bunch of muscle-bound bodyguards. Bella was happily humming to herself in her sleep when Jacob gently deposited her in the passenger seat of the Rabbit. She smiled, curling up as if she was in her own bed, her long eyelashes casting shadows on her pale cheeks. The gentle thrum of the engine sent her completely under as Jacob began the long drive home.

Outside the first snowflakes began to fall.

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Two**

Bella had fallen into an exhausted sleep. It seemed like seconds later when the car door opened and Jacob was carrying her from the car. She struggled to open her eyes but the lids remained glued shut. At first, she thought they were still at the airport and then she heard Charlie.

"Bella!" He shouted from some distance.

"Dad." She mumbled, trying to shake off the stupor.

"Shh." Jacob whispered. "It's okay, you're home and safe. Just sleep."

"Jake, is that you?" Charlie bellowed at Jacob; his voice much closer now.

"Dad." Bella groaned.

Charlie didn't hear her; he was still too het up. "What's wrong with her?" He demanded.

"She's just very tired, Charlie." Jacob assured him quietly. "Please let her rest."

"Don't tell me what to do, Jake!" Charlie yelled. He was showing no signs of calming down. "Just give her to me."

Jacob tried to pass Bella to her irate father, but she clung to him with locked, tenacious fingers. She could feel Charlie yanking on her arm. "Cut it out, Dad." She cried, raising the volume of her voice so he could hear. She managed to drag her eyelids back to stare at Charlie with bleary eyes. "Be mad at me. Jake did nothing wrong."

"I am mad at you!" Charlie huffed. "And I know Jake didn't do anything." His voice gentled to a husky whisper. "Thanks for bringing her home, son. Where did you find her?"

"At the airport."

Bella sank back against Jacob's warm body as she looked around blearily. They were in front of her house in Forks. The front door was standing wide open. The cloud cover overhead was too thick to guess at a time of day.

"Okay, let me down." She sighed.

Jacob reluctantly set her down on her feet. She could see that she was upright, but couldn't feel her legs. She trudged forward anyway, until the sidewalk swirled up toward her face. Jacob caught her just before her face connected with the concrete.

"Just let me get her upstairs, Charlie." Jacob said. "Then I'll tell you the full story."

"Nope, not having that." Bella slurred tiredly as she made a clumsy attempt to climb up Jacob's body so she could see his face. "I haven't told you how sorry I am yet. I have a whole speech."

"Later, honey." Jacob whispered so low in her ear that Charlie didn't have a hope of hearing. "It will give you more time to practice. There better be some major grovelling coming my way."

Bella's head lolled back as her eyes drifted closed again. She didn't hear Charlie's response as Jacob carried her into the house. The last thing she felt was Jacob's warm hands prying her fingers loose from his shirt as he put her to bed.

* * *

Bella had the sense that she had been asleep for a very long time-her body was stiff, like it hadn't moved once through all that time, either. Her mind was dazed and slow; strange colourful, dreams-dreams and nightmares-swirled around the inside of her head. They were so vivid. The horrible and the heavenly, all mixed into a bizarre jumble. There was sharp impatience and fear, both part of that frustrating dream where your feet can't move fast enough…and there were plenty of monsters, red-eyed fiends that were all the ghastlier for their genteel civility. The dream was still strong-she could even remember the names. But the strongest, clearest part of the dream was not the horror. It was her saviour who was most clear. Her wolf boy stood proud, protectively in front of her, keeping at bay the cold demons who tried to grasp and claw at her.

It was hard to let him go and wake up. This dream did not want to be shoved away into the vault of dreams she refused to revisit. She struggled with it as her mind became more alert, focusing on reality. She couldn't remember what day of the week it was, but she hoped Jacob was waiting for her. She inhaled deeply, waiting for her eyes to open so she could see his beloved face again.

Something cold touched her forehead with the softest pressure. She squeezed her eyes more tightly shut. She was still dreaming it seemed, and it felt abnormally real. She was close to waking-any second now, and it would be gone.

But Bella realised that it felt too real, too real to be good for her. The stone arms wrapped around her were far too substantial to be part of her nightmare. If she opened her eyes, she knew she would be sorry for it later. With a resigned sigh, expecting the inevitable, she wrenched back her eyelids to see the truth that was in front of her.

"Oh." She exhaled in bitter disappointment, throwing her fists over her eyes.

Well, clearly, she'd gone too far; it must have been a mistake to let her imagination get so out of hand. Okay so 'let' was the wrong word. She'd forced it to get out of hand-pretty much stalked her hallucinations- and now her mind had snapped, forcing her to face the reality she didn't want to see.

Bella opened her eyes again-and Edward was still there, his perfect face inches away from hers-Jacob was nowhere to be seen.

"Did I frighten you?" Edward's low voice was anxious.

This was one of the worst delusions she'd ever had. Why couldn't she conjure up Jacob? This was all wrong. She squeezed her eyes shut, picturing Jacob's face, his voice, his scent, everything about hm that made him so special-it was so much better than reality. Unfortunately, the beautiful figment of her imagination vanished as soon as she opened her eyes again.

Edward was once again in her line of sight, his eyes drinking in her changing expressions, with alarm. His irises were pitch black, with bruise like shadows underneath them. Bella blinked twice, desperately trying to remember the last thing that was real. Alice had been part of her dream, and she wondered if she really had come back at all, or if it was just preamble. She thought she had returned the day she had so nearly drowned….

Had any of that really happened? What if she was losing her memory now? What if Edward had never really left her? What if she had conjured up Jacob in her mind? Did he really exist as she knew him? Her brave, selfless, wolf boy! Why wasn't he here?

"Oh, crap." Bella croaked. Her throat was thick with sleeping.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

Bella frowned at Edward unhappily. His face was even more anxious than before. "I'm dead, right?" She moaned in despair. "I did drown. Crap, crap, crap! Now I'm stuck in the afterlife with you! This wasn't supposed to happen."

Edward frowned, too. "You're not dead."

"Then why am I not waking up?" She challenged him angrily.

"You _are _awake, Bella."

Bella shook her head fiercely. "Sure, sure. That's what you want me to think. This is hell." She began to descend into panic. "Poor Charlie. And Renee…. Jake…. oh, Jake…. I've messed up. I don't want this!" She trailed off in horror at what she had done. "I should never have left!"

"I can see where you might confuse me with a nightmare." Edward's face was grim. "But I can't imagine what you could have done to wind up in hell. Did you commit many murders while I was away?"

Bella stared at him in disbelief, not understanding how he could make such a cruel joke. "Obviously I am in hell if I'm with you." She jeered.

Edward flinched, sighing heavily as he tried to hide the pain crossing his face.

Bella's head was getting clearer. Her eyes flickered away from his face to the dark window, expecting Jacob to suddenly climb through it and save her from this cruel reality like he saved her before. Like cold water had been dashed on her body, she trembled, casting her gaze back to Edward. She was starting to remember details…an angry blush warmed the skin over her cheekbones as she slowly realised what an idiot she was being.

"So, it all really happened, then?" She snapped at him. It was almost impossible to reassign her dream to reality. She couldn't wrap her head around the concept.

"That depends." Edward's smile was hard. "If you're referring to us nearly being massacred in Italy, then, yes."

"No, I'm talking about the fact that you are in my room again, watching me sleep without my permission!" Bella retorted fiercely. She glared at him, her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. "You never learn, do you? NOW GET THE HELL OUT!"

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Three**

"Bella, you're not coherent. Maybe you should go back to sleep." Edward said hastily in an attempt to placate her.

"I'm not tired anymore. Everything is becoming very clear to me now." Bella scowled at Edward angrily. "What time is it? How long have I been sleeping?"

"It's just after about one in the morning. So, about fourteen hours." Edward was relaxed again now, thinking everything was under control.

"And Charlie?" Bella snapped.

Edward frowned at her sharp tone. "Sleeping. You should probably know that he's planning to ban me from the house. I saw it in his mind before he went to sleep."

"Charlie banned you from the house?" Bella's eyes sparked with fury. She ignored the sad look reflected on Edward's face as he waited for her to jump to his defence against her own father. The sickening thing was in the distant past, before he had left, that's what she would have done. "If you know that's what he wants then what are you even doing here? Do you just assume that you can break the rules because you're a damn vampire!"

"Bella, please, you have to stop raising your voice like that. He'll hear." Edward warned her. "I really think you're overtired and not thinking rationally."

"Oh, just piss off, Edward." Bella retorted irritably. Every second that he was here-so close, his flawless face glowing in the dim light from the numbers on her alarm clock-was just serving to ignite her anger and resentment toward him.

"Bella!" Edward was completely shocked by her heated outburst. He stared at her; his eyes wide with uncertainty. "Do you…do you want me to go?" He sounded so disbelieving that it was comical.

"Well that's what piss off usually means." Bella folded her arms across her chest, creating a physical barrier between them.

Edward hesitated, waiting to see if she would suddenly burst into laughter and tell him she was kidding. But throughout her face remained impassive, bored almost. "I'll go then. I need to hunt anyway. But I promise I won't be far away."

"Good luck with that." Bella shrugged as she rolled onto her side so her back was facing him.

Edward took a deep breath, though she wondered why he bothered when he didn't need to breathe. "Listen, Bella, I owe you an apology. No, of course, I owe you much more than that. But you have to know,"- his words began to flow so fast, the way they did sometimes when he was agitated. Bella felt her eyelids begin to close the longer he waffled on- "that I had no idea. I didn't realise the mess I was leaving behind. I thought it was safe for you here. So safe, I had no idea that Victoria would come back. I'll admit when I saw her that one time, I was paying more attention to James' thoughts. But I just didn't see that she had this kind of response in her. That she even had such a tie to him…."

A faint snore left Bella's parted lips.

"Bella?" Edward stopped talking and stared at her sleeping face. He could tell by the gentle rhythm of her breathing that her body was totally relaxed. She was fast asleep. Feeling miffed, and a little insulted, Edward tucked the covers around her slim shoulders to cut off any stray draught, then decided he would abide by her wishes and give her some space while he went hunting.

* * *

Bella awoke to the sound of her bedroom door cracking open. "Morning, Dad." She mumbled sleepily.

"Oh, hey, Bella." Charlie sounded embarrassed at getting caught checking on her. "I didn't know you were awake."

"Yeah." Bella yawned. "I've just been waiting for you to get up so I can take a shower." She lied badly.

"Of course, you were." Charlie said dryly, flipping the light on. Bella blinked in the sudden brightness, and carefully kept her eyes on his face. "Let's talk for a minute, kid."

Bella couldn't control her grimace. Her head felt fuzzy and thick. She hadn't practised her excuses. She had no idea what Jacob might have told Charlie.

"You know you're in trouble."

"Yeah, I know."

"I just about went crazy these last three days. I come home from Harry's funeral, and you're gone. Jacob could only tell me you'd run off with Alice Cullen, and he thought you were in trouble. You really did a number on that boy, I hope you're ashamed of yourself, Bells."

His words were like a kick to her stomach. She felt her cheeks warm up with shame. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Sorry is not going to cut it this time." Charlie continued sternly. "You didn't even leave me a number where I could reach you, and you didn't bother to call. I didn't know where you were or when-or if- you were coming back. Do you have any idea how…how…?" He couldn't finish the sentence. He sucked in a sharp breath and moved on. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't ship you off to Jacksonville this second?"

Bella sat up on the bed and gathered the quilt around her. "Because I won't go."

"Now just one-minute, young lady- "

"And because it's just an empty threat. I know you don't want me to go. And you haven't tasted my grovelling apology dinner yet. Look, Dad, I accept complete responsibility for my actions, and you have the right to ground me for as long as you want. I will also do all the chores and laundry and dishes until you think I've learned my lesson."

"That's not much of a punishment. You already do all the chores and you enjoy it!" Charlie grumbled.

"Alright, ban me from doing the chores then. I'll just sit and watch you do them." Bella answered sarcastically.

Charlie's face turned bright red. He took a few deep breaths before he responded. "Would you like to explain where you've been?"

Oh, crap. Bella didn't know what to say. "There was…an emergency." She watched Charlie raise his eyebrows in expectation of her brilliant explanation. She filled her cheeks with air and then blew it out noisily. "I don't know what to tell you, Dad. It was mostly a misunderstanding. A lot of wires got crossed."

Charlie narrowed his eyes, wating for her to continue with a disgruntled expression.

"See, Alice told Rosalie about me jumping off the cliff…" Bella was scrambling frantically to make a viable excuse, but ended up digging herself into a greater hole. There was a major flaw in her plan, she had forgotten that Charlie knew nothing about her reckless cliff dive. Oh hell! She tried to backtrack to lessen the impact. "I guess I didn't tell you about that. It was nothing. Just messing around, swimming with Jake. Anyway, Rosalie told Edward, and he was upset. She sort of accidentally implied I tried to kill myself or something…." Bella faked a laugh which was totally lost on an enraged Charlie.

"Were you tying to kill yourself, Bella?" He demanded.

"No, of course not. Just having fun with Jake. Cliff diving. The La Push kids do it all the time. Like I said, nothing."

"JAKE WAS INVOLVED!" Charlie thundered as his face heated up with fury. "HE NEVER TOLD ME THAT!"

"No!" Bella jumped to Jacob's defence at once. "He was late that day. He pulled me from the water. He saved me."

"You were drowning?" Charlie was almost apoplectic. "I will be having words with that boy and much worse." He threatened.

"Don't be angry with Jake. Be angry at Edward." Bella said defensively. "It's his fault that I had to drag my ass to Italy."

"Italy?" Charlie's voice went up an octave. "He was in Europe? I thought you said he was living in L.A."

Crap! Crap! Crap! She was making this so much worse. Bella tried to salvage the situation. "He was on vacation."

"During school?"

"No…yes…um…it was a short trip to see relatives." Bella fumbled. Well it wasn't a complete lie. Edward was visiting other supernatural creatures like himself-even if they were psychopathic vamps.

"Fucking Edward Cullen." Charlie raged as he turned his ire from Jake to Edward. "This is all his fault. All this time, he's left you dangling without a word- "

"Yes, what an asshole. I totally agree." Bella replied stoutly.

"You do?" Charlie looked at her suspiciously, finding it odd that she was so readily throwing Edward under the bus. "So, is he back then?"

"I'm not sure what the exact plan is. And I don't really care."

Charlie was dumbfounded by this pronouncement. He kept waiting for the punchline. "I want you to stay away from him, Bella. I don't trust him. He's rotten for you. I won't let him mess you up like that again."

"Done."

Charlie rocked back on his heels. "Oh." He scrambled for a second, exhaling loudly in surprise. "I thought you were going to be difficult."

"Of course not." Bella gave him a bland smile. "Now, I'm going to take a shower." She rose to her feet, frowning when Charlie stayed rooted in place. "Is there something else?" She asked.

"Yes, I don't want to come across as a hard ass, Bells, but I can't let the whole cliff diving thing go."

"Dad!" She whined in exasperation. "I told you it was nothing. It's recreational. A lot of the kids in La Push…"

"I don't care what you think the other kids in La Push are doing. You nearly drowned. It was a reckless thing to do and Jake should never have indulged you in the crazy plan."

"He didn't."

"You said he did."

"Well…technically."

"There you go then. I think you should give each other space until you get your head on straight. I sometimes forget Jake is still a teenager. He probably thinks he's helping but he isn't. I want you to go for some counselling, Bells. Maybe it will put things into clearer perspective for you." Charlie put his foot down.

"Fine." Bella stared him straight in the eyes. "I'll move out."

Charlie's eyes bulged; his face turned puce. Bella's resolve wavered as she started to worry about his health. He was no younger than Harry…

"Dad, I don't want to move out." She said in a softer tone. "I love you. I know you're worried, but you need to trust me on this. And you're gonna have to ease up on Jake if you want me to stay. Do you want me to live here or not?"

"Where else would you go other than Renee's?" He challenged her.

"Jake's." Bella said promptly. "I know Billy wouldn't turn me away."

"Like hell he will." Charlie laughed darkly. Bella's answer was a confident smile. He cussed under his breath for a minute. "That's not fair, Bella. It's not right dragging others into this. You know I want you to stay here."

Bella sighed heavily. "Please, Dad, just think about it for a few days. I'll do the counselling thing if it makes you feel better, but I won't compromise on seeing Jake."

"Dammit!" Charlie's lips thinned as he turned on his heel and shut the door loudly and stomped furiously down the stairs.

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews! Happy Christmas!**_

**Chapter Four**

Emily peered at Jacob's glum face. He had been sitting at her kitchen table for the last hour staring at his empty plate. Sam and his friends had given up trying to pull him out of his bad mood and left him to stew on his own.

"If you haven't talked to her, then how do you know what's going on." Emily said as she settled down in the chair opposite him. It was a reflection of what Sam had said to him before he lost patience with Jacob.

"I saw him crawling through her window." He muttered darkly.

"So?"

"He didn't crawl back out again." Jacob shoved his plate away as if it offended him. "You know at the airport when she came home with us, for one minute, just one tiny minute, I thought that she was done with him."

Emily just about refrained from rolling her eyes. "Jake, from what Sam told me poor Bella was practically catatonic when you dropped her back home. I bet she wasn't even aware that Edward Cullen was in her room."

"I doubt that." Jacob wouldn't be persuaded. He was determined to wallow. "I waited an hour after I spoke to Charlie and the leech was still in there. I was going to go in and confront him until Sam ordered me home."

"Forks forms part of the Cullens territory, Jake. You know Sam had no choice. Until the treaty's boundaries have been re-established, he has to be cautious."

"Ugh, you would agree with him." Jacob said sullenly.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" Even the ever-patient Emily was getting irritated now. "Stop being so childish. Go and talk to the girl. I mean what was the point of the mad dash to the airport if you're just going to give up so easily. Be proactive. Do something!"

"Do something?" Jacob's expression turned thoughtful as he mulled over what Emily had said. "Like a grand gesture type thing?"

"No, that's not what I mean. This is not the movies, Jake. This is real life. Deal with it." Emily answered impatiently.

"You know, Em, you're right." Jacob's dark eyes flashed with determination as he pushed himself to his feet. "I'm going to be proactive."

"Good." Emily praised him. She was feeling quite proud of the fact she had managed to get through to Jacob when everyone else had failed. "No grand gestures, though."

"No gestures." Jacob promised with a sly grin. "I have another plan."

Emily's self-congratulatory mood vanished as she looked at him suspiciously. "You're not going to do anything stupid, are you?"

"As if?" Jacob laughed. "This is me, remember!"

With that parting comment he bounded out of the house, intent on his mission, leaving Emily wishing she hadn't meddled in the first place.

* * *

While Jacob went ahead with his mad plan Bella was busy shopping for groceries. She had some major grovelling to do to get back into Jacob's good books. She knew secretly he had forgiven her. He wouldn't have been waiting for her flight to come in at the airport if he was still mad. But that didn't mean she didn't have some major sucking up to do. It had taken an immense amount of persuasion for Charlie to allow her out of the house, even if it was to travel a few feet across the road to the local store to stock up on supplies. She knew the way to a wolf boy's heart was through his stomach. Bella had decided to cook up a storm for Jacob, preparing all his favourite food, before giving him her whole apology speech.

When she came out of the store, she was laden down with several bags of groceries. What she wasn't expecting to find Edward waiting for her outside. Before she had a chance to protest, he took the bags out of her hands, fussing like an old man that they were far too heavy for her to carry.

"Edward Cullen." She demanded loudly. "What are you doing here? Give those back to me."

Edward looked away from her, staring into the rain which had started falling while she was inside the store. "Please, don't be difficult, Bella." He said in a pained voice. "I'm trying so very hard."

Bella stared at him with her mouth open. Was he for real? "Your skin really is marble thick, isn't it?"

"I know I deserve your ire, but can you stop being so overdramatic." Edward chided her like a small child. He was carrying the bags as if they weighed nothing at all, which only served to piss Bella off even more because of how much she had struggled. "Can we at least be civil like the grownups we're meant to be."

"Says the century old man with the face of a teenager." Bella retorted sarcastically. "Give me the bags back and go away, Edward, before Charlie sees you. I'm in enough trouble as it is."

"You're already in more trouble, Bella." He whispered through unmoving lips. Bella found that intensely creepy. "it's Charlie…"

"My Dad?" Bella screeched. "He's seen you, hasn't he? He must have been clock watching ever since I walked out the door. Well thank you very much for ruining everything like you always do."

Edward looked at her, his lips pursed in disapproval. "Please, show a little decorum. People are watching. Charlie is not going to kill you, but he's thinking about it." He told her.

"Stop invading my dad's privacy like you did mine." Bella seethed as she attempted to grab the bags off Edward. "I haven't done anything wrong. Once I explain that you hijacked me, he'll understand."

"Don't be ridiculous, Bella." Edward was staring pointedly at the house. Bella followed his gaze, and noticed for the first time what was parked in the driveway next to the cruiser. Shiny, bright red, impossible to miss. Her motorcycle, the one she'd fixed up with Jacob, flaunting itself in the driveway.

"I don't….what the…I don't…" Bella stuttered in disbelief. Edward had said that Charlie was ready to kill her, so he must know it was hers. There was only one person who could be behind this treachery. "JACOB EPHRAIM BLACK! I'M COMING FOR YOU!"

The sting of betrayal made her feel sick. Why would Jacob do this? She trusted him implicitly-trusted him with every single secret she had. He was supposed to be her safe harbour-the one person she could always rely on. Of course, things were a little strained right now-she was planning on fixing it-but she didn't think the underlying foundation had changed. She didn't think that was changeable.

Bella couldn't believe what she had done to deserve this. Charlie was going to be so mad-and worse than that, he was going to be hurt and worried. Didn't she have enough to deal with already? She never could have imagined that Jake would be so petty and plain mean. Angry tears sprang, smarting, into her eyes, but they were not tears of sadness. She felt betrayed. She was suddenly so angry that her head throbbed as if it was about to explode.

"Is he still here?" She hissed at Edward.

"Yes, if you mean Jacob. He's waiting for us there." Edward told her, nodding toward the slender path that divided the dark fringe of the forest in two.

Bella launched herself toward the trees with her hands already balled into fists. She felt like a wolf herself right now-an angry devilish she-wolf intent on the destruction of Jacob freaking Black. But of course, Edward was much faster. He caught her around the waist before she made the path.

"Let go of me!" She cried, enraged. "I'm going to sort him out. Traitor. I trusted you!" She shouted the epithet toward the trees,

"Charlie will hear you." Edward warned. "And once he gets you inside, he may brick over the doorway."

Bella snarled like an angry wolf at Edward and he looked a little taken aback at the ferocity of her response. She was seeing red, her head still throbbing madly. "Fuck off, Edward. Let me go. I'll deal with Jacob and then I'll deal with Charlie." She struggled futilely to break free of Edward's hold.

"Jacob Black wants to see me. That's why he's still here." Edward informed her, somewhat smugly.

That stopped Bella cold-took the fight right out of her. Her hands went limp. "You're lying."

"I'm not." Edward said smoothly. "He wants to talk."

"Talk?"

"More or less."

"How much more?" Bella's voice shook with hurt.

Edward smoothed her hair back from her face and she flinched away from him. "Don't touch me."

Edward's hand dropped to his side. Her reaction had hurt him deeply she could tell. She was glad of it. "He's acting as spokesperson for the pack."

"What? Sam would never let him." Bella protested.

Edward looked toward the house again, then tightened his arm around Bella's waist and pulled her toward the woods. She struggled to get away from him but her efforts were in vain. "Stop fighting me, Bella. We need to hurry. Charlie is getting impatient."

They didn't have to go far; Jacob waited just a short way up the path. He lounged against a mossy tree trunk as he waited, his face hard and bitter, exactly the way Bella hated to see him. He looked at her, and then at Edward. Bella was forced to watch as Jacob's mouth stretched into a humourless grin, and he shrugged away from the tree. He stood on the balls of his bare feet, leaning slightly forward, with his trembling hands clenched into fists. Bella didn't realise she was copying his stance.

Edward scowled and stopped as soon as he saw Jacob, leaving a wide space between them and Jacob. He turned his body, shifting Bella so she was behind him. Bella wasn't having that. She leaned around him to stare at Jacob-to accuse him with her eyes.

She thought seeing his resentful, cynical expression would only fuel her anger toward him. Instead it reminded her of the night she'd left for Italy with Alice, with tears in his eyes. Her fury weakened, faltered as she stared at him. Their reunion wasn't meant to go like this.

"Bella." Jacob said as a greeting-nodding once toward her without looking away from Edward.

"Why?" She accused, trying to talk around the lump lodged in her throat. "How could you do this to me, Jacob?"

The sneer vanished, but his face remained impassive. "Its for the best."

"What is that supposed to mean? Do you want Charlie to strangle me? Or did you want him to have a heart attack like Harry? I don't understand why you would do this to me or him!"

Jacob winced and his eyebrows pulled together, but he didn't answer.

"He didn't want to hurt anyone-he just wanted to get you grounded, so that you wouldn't be allowed to spend time with me." Edward said smugly, explaining the thoughts that Jacob wouldn't say.

Jacob's eyes sparked with hate as he glowered at Edward again.

"What the hell, Jake!" Bella groaned in disbelief. Now it was all making sense. "I'm already grounded! Why do you think I wasn't down in La Push first thing this morning when I woke up, grovelling on my hands and knees for forgiveness like I promised!"

Jacob's eyes flashed back to her, confused for the first time. "That's why?" He asked.

"He thought I wouldn't let you, not Charlie." Edward interjected again.

"Stop that!" Jacob and Bella yelled in unison.

Edward glared at Jacob, his irritation not just at him but Bella slipping trough his calm façade. "I was trying to put the misunderstandings to one side."

Jacob shuddered once, and then gritted his teeth as hard as his fists. "Bells wasn't exaggerating about your abilities." He said through his teeth. "How do you stand that?" He said to Bella.

"I don't. I mean he can't read my mind. I'm a closed book to him." Bella couldn't help but flash Edward a triumphant smile.

"You never told me that." Jacob accused.

"It never came up." Bella responded curtly. "Anyway, I'm pissed at you."

"Ditto!" Jacob snapped.

"You are such an idiot! What were you thinking?" Bella continued in disbelief. "You've gone and made things a hundred time worse. Charlie was already mad because of the whole cliff diving thing…"

"How does he know about that?" Jacob cut in.

"I may have accidentally let it slip when I made my excuses this morning." Bella admitted sheepishly.

"Bella!" Jacob whined. "Why can't you lie like a normal person!"

"I haven't had over a hundred years of practise like the old man over there." Bella motioned toward Edward, who frowned in annoyance.

"Bella, please." He scolded her. "This is a serious situation. When I lied, I never meant…"

"For goodness sake, go away, Edward." Bella snapped impatiently. "I'm trying to have an argument with Jake here and your constant interruptions are getting in the way."

"Bella, why are you acting like this?" Edward said, and his voice throbbed with the depth of his agony. "Is this your way of punishing me. If so, then I accept it. I know I deserve it." He turned toward Jacob and straightened. "I will never be able to tell you how grateful I am. I will owe you for the rest of my existence."

Jacob stared at him blankly. He exchanged a quick glance with Bella, but she was just as mystified as he was.

"For keeping Bella alive." Edward added testily when he registered their confusion. "When I…didn't."

Understanding washed over Jacob's face as he suddenly cut up laughing. He looked toward Bella and she was struggling to hide a smile. He shook his head in disbelief at Edward's flowery apology. As if he gave a shit what the pasty-faced leech thought. "I didn't keep her alive for you benefit, bloodsucker."

Edward looked extremely miffed at Jacob's reaction. "It doesn't erase any gratitude I feel. I thought you should know. If there is anything in my power to do for you…"

Jacob raised one black brow. "Fuck off then." He said rudely.

Edward gasped, his nostrils flaring. "That is not in my power. And I implore you not to use language like that around Bella."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "I'm done with this bullshit. I'm here to remind you and your bloodsucking coven of a few key points in the treaty. The treaty which is the only thing stopping me from ripping your throat out right now." He informed Edward in a bored tone.

"What key points?" Edward said coldly.

"The treaty is quite specific. If any of you bite a human, the truce is over. Bite, not kill." He emphasized. His eyes flicked to Bella who was secretly fuming at him. "What's up with you?" He said to her in surprise.

"You're what's up with me." Bella snapped at him. "This is to do with me. You think that I'm gong to let jaws over there sink his poisoned teeth into my neck. Well thank you very much, bestie!"

Jacob looked suitably chastened. "I didn't actually _think _that."

Bella tapped her foot angrily on the ground. "Really?"

"Aren't you supposed to be grovelling for my forgiveness right now?" Jacob muttered. "When did this turn around on me?"

"When you stupidly rocked up at my house with the bike." Bella reminded him, sighing heavily. "We're just going around in circles here."

"I'm sorry, Bells. I wasn't thinking." Jacob said huskily.

"I'm sorry, too." She replied with tears in her eyes.

Edward muttered something unintelligible under his breath. He was just about to say something when Charlie's voice could be heard roaring from the front porch. "BELLA MARIE SWAN. YOU GET IN THIS HOUSE THIS INSTANT. I KNOW YOU'RE IN THE WOODS WITH JACOB. I AM NOT A FOOL. IF YOU AREN'T IN THIS HOUSE WITHIN ONE MINUTE…" Charlie didn't bother to finish the threat.

"Let's go." Bella grabbed Jacob's hand and began to pull him toward the house.

"Bella?" Edward questioned in surprise. He was still holding the bags of groceries.

"Jake, get those would ya." Bella asked him. "That's your dinner in there."

Jacob snatched the bags from an astonished Edward. "Thanks, bloodsucker." He sneered as he hefted the bags in his arms and followed Bella back to the house.

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Five**

_Bella, _

_I can't believe I have had to resort to writing to you. You are acting like a child in second grade. All you need to do is answer your phone and we can talk things through in a mature and adult fashion. I have so much to say to you, if only you would take the time to listen._

_I love you. So much. I miss you. _

_Please, give me a chance to explain._

_Yours for eternity,_

_Edward_

Bella ran her fingers across the page, tracing over Edward's delicate script. His writing belonged to another era-the old-fashioned penmanship stood out in stark relief against the expensive notepaper. She could picture him sitting at the antique desk in Carlisle's study, his fountain pen poised between his musician's fingers as he considered what to write. She imagined him crafting a lengthy note of apology before abruptly dismissing it, crumpling up the paper in frustration before beginning all over again.

She sighed irritably, annoyed that she would be forced to reject his pleas all over again. She had been as politely blunt as she could in her last response to him, but it seemed her words had failed to pierce his thick marble hide. He still thought she was lashing out, punishing him for leaving in the first place, arrogantly confident that she would eventually forgive him once enough time had passed.

_There was no freaking way that was ever going to happen!_

While she was pondering her response, she caught the unmistakable scent of a smoking burner rising from the kitchen. In another house, the fact that someone besides herself was cooking might not be a cause for panicking. She shoved the fancy notepaper back into the perfumed envelope, before stuffing in the back pocket of her jeans. The burning smell got worse followed by the sounds of muttered curses as she hastily descended the stairs.

The jar of spaghetti sauce Jacob had stuck in the microwave was only on its first revolution when she yanked the door open and pulled it out.

"Dammit, what did I do wrong?" Jacob demanded impatiently.

"Ugh, you're supposed to take the lid off first, moron. Metal's bad for microwaves." Bella tutted, swiftly removing the lid as she spoke, poured half the sauce into a bowl, and then put the bowl inside the microwave and the jar back in the fridge. She fixed the time and pressed start.

Jacob watched her adjustments with an annoyed expression. "It didn't say to do that on the label." He muttered. "Did I get the noodles right?"

Bella looked at the pan on the stove-the source of the smell that had alerted her to the trouble in the first place. "Stirring helps." She rolled her eyes as she grabbed a spoon and tried to de-clump the mushy hunk that was scalded to the bottom.

Jacob pouted like a small boy and looked at Bella sulkily.

"Why are you trying to burn the house down? Aren't you in enough trouble already? I told you to wait."

Jacob folded his arms across his impressive chest and glared out the back windows into the sheeting rain. "There was me just trying to do a nice thing."

Bella was mystified. Jacob cooking? He couldn't boil water without burning the pan. And what was with the surly attitude? Charlie wasn't here yet, so there was no excuse for his prickly attitude. The police chief had remained adamant that Jacob and Bella were not allowed to see each other unless he or Billy were present to supervise them. This had not gone down well with Jacob at all.

"Did I miss something? Since when do you make dinner?" Bella asked. The pasta lump bobbed in the boiling water as she poked it. "Or try to ruin dinner, I should say."

"There's no law that says I can't cook for you and Charlie, is there?" Jacob grumbled.

"Oh, so this is all about you impressing my Dad." Bella poked the pasta lump again, grimacing in disgust. "You know Charlie hates noodles."

"Jeez, what does the guy like." Jacob threw his hands up in the air in defeat. "I thought if I cooked something for him, he could see that I'm not the immature idiot he thinks I am."

"You know he doesn't think you're an idiot." Bella cut in swiftly.

"But he thinks I'm immature and has practically banned us from being alone for more than five minutes at a time since the whole bike thing." Jacob sighed.

"You're the one who told him about the bikes."

"You're the one who told him about the cliff diving."

Jacob and Bella glared at each other for a moment. She was the first to drop her gaze as she concentrated on stirring the noodles in the pan. Ever since Jacob had stupidly informed on her about the motorcycle she had been riding on the sly-a betrayal he had devised in order to get her grounded so she wouldn't spend time with Edward Cullen-he had only been allowed to see her from seven to nine-thirty p.m., always inside the confines of her home and under the supervision of Charlie's unfailingly icy glare.

This was an escalation from the previous, slightly less stringent grounding that she had earned for an unexplained three-day disappearance and one episode of cliff diving. Unlike Jacob who had only been given a partial ban, Edward had been given a full one. Bella had managed to stop him sneaking into her room uninvited at night, she had kicked up such a stink the second time he had tried it that her screaming and yelling had attracted not only the attention of her father sleeping in the next room, but the wolves as well. On Sam's orders two wolves patrolled the area around her house every night. There was no way that Edward could sneak in to see her without the pack knowing about it.

Of course, she still saw Edward at school, there wasn't anything she could do about that. But with carefully timed planning she managed to avoid sitting with him during class, citing the past awkwardness of their break-up to the teachers, who immediately split them up so Edward was at the back of the room and she was at the front under their watchful eyes.

Bella was pulled out of her funk by the sound of the front door rattling. She met Jacob's defeated gaze and immediately tried to salvage dinner. As soon as Charlie strode into the kitchen and saw Jacob he scowled. "You're early." He growled. "You know the rules."

"Jacob cooked, Dad." Bella interjected quickly before her father could continue his lecture. "That's nice of him, isn't it?"

"Sucking up more like." Charlie muttered as he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on the peg reserved for his gear. His gun-belt was already slung in place-he hadn't felt the need to wear it to the station for a few weeks. There had been no more disturbing disappearances to trouble the small town of Forks, Washington, no more sightings of the giant, mysterious wolves in the ever-rainy woods…apart from the pasta burning one standing in his kitchen.

Bella exchanged another long look with Jacob as she prodded at the noodles in silence. Charlie was making no effort to be polite and engaging. His anger toward Jacob because of the death machine he had fixed up for her was not going away anytime soon.

Charlie sat at the table with a grunt and unfolded the damp newspaper there; within seconds he was clucking his tongue in disapproval.

"Why do you read the news, Dad. It only pisses you off."

Charlie frowned. "Language, young lady. You never used to have such a potty mouth." His eyes slid in Jacob's direction. "I can guess where you get it from."

Bella gritted her teeth and she noticed Jacob doing the same. Charlie seemed intent on making this evening as uncomfortable as possible. She heard the rustle of the newspaper as he turned a page, grumbling under his breath.

"What are you reading about, Charlie?" Jacob asked as politely as he could, just to make conversation.

Charlie looked over the top of the paper at him ferociously. "Some idiot teenagers who put themselves in hospital riding those two wheeled death machines you're so fond of."

There was a deathly silence before Bella broke it. "You just couldn't help yourself, Dad." She said through gritted teeth. "When are you going to let this go?"

"Bells, don't." Jacob tried to hush her, but it was too late, Bella had run out of patience.

"Don't talk to me in that tone, Bella. I have every right to be upset." Charlie's cheeks warmed up as his temper did the same.

"I know you have, but you have to get past it sometime. It's been weeks." Bella snapped. "We've followed your insane rules to the letter, but still you keep on and on." She gave up on saving dinner and settled for serving it; she had to use a steak knife to cut a portion of the spaghetti for Charlie and then herself and Jacob.

Charlie didn't rise to her bait as he coated his helping with a liberal amount of sauce and dug in. Jacob did the same with his, before eagerly shovelling in huge forkfuls of the spaghetti. Bella disguised her own clump before tucking in with less enthusiasm than the others. They ate in silence for a moment. Charlie was still scanning the news while Jacob discreetly dug his fork into Bella's unfinished portion and began piling it onto his already empty plate.

When Charlie had finished his own helping, he nodded, his eyebrows pulling together into a deep frown. He folded up his newspaper and looked at Jacob and Bella pointedly until the latter had the grace to put down his fork for a minute.

Satisfied that he had their full attention, Charlie cleared his throat loudly. "I was thinking about relaxing the rules." He revealed.

"I knew it!" Jacob crowed as he grinned at Bella. "And you dissed my cooking skills. I knew a bit of pasta would soften the chief up."

Bella nearly face-palmed as she shot Jacob an annoyed glance. Why couldn't he keep his beautiful mouth shut? "He's joking, Dad." She said on his behalf when Charlie's scowl returned full force.

"Yeah, I was." Jacob mumbled, his smile turning sheepish.

"Don't make me regret this, boy." Charlie thundered. "I was just about to say that even though I am still upset about the whole bike thing, after giving it more thought, I decided that you did the right thing. You were being responsible."

"I was?" Jacob said in surprise.

"Responsible?" Bella repeated scathingly, rolling her eyes.

"Unlike you." Charlie snapped at her.

"Dad!" Bella's eyes narrowed. "I- "

Charlie held up his hands to stop her tirade. "There is no excuse for the way you've been acting, Bells. None." He said flatly. "You deserved every single punishment I've given you."

"And I've borne the punishment without one single complaint." Bella reiterated. "I've even gone to those counselling sessions you set up."

"I know." Charlie sighed, obviously getting tired of acting the hard ass. "That's why I was prepared to relax the rules a bit…"

"Was?" Bella echoed him. "I don't understand."

"I found this, Bella." Charlie reached into the top pocket of his shirt and pulled out a familiar piece of expensive notepaper. It was one of the many letters that Edward had been sending her daily. "It was posted through the door this morning. You promised you had stopped all contact with him."

"I have!" Bella protested.

"Not according to this." Charlie said flatly as he chucked the note on the table between them.

Bella felt her face burning. It wasn't only Charlie that was looking at her with an accusatory expression. Jacob looked as angry as hell; his dark eyes burning with the betrayal he was feeling.

_Fucking Edward! _Bella raged in her head.

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Six**

_My darling Bella,_

_Every night I dream about you, I drown in the ocean of our love. Every time my thoughts wander, they always come back to you. Every time I see you, your beautiful face and lovely smile makes me fall back under your spell again. Every time you speak, each time you utter my name with gentle words of love, it sends my soul soaring up to the skies above. Hell would be heaven as long as I have you by my side. _

_You are my love. My one. My only. _

_Forgiveness is a virtue. To hold a grudge is a sin._

_I know how virtuous you are, my dearest Bella. _

_Yours for eternity,_

_Edward_

Bella felt sick, undeniably physically sick. She read the note all over again, psychoanalyzing every word he had written. His flowery prose was vomit inducing, but there was one line that particularly stuck in her craw. "Forgiveness is a virtue. To hold a grudge is a sin." She read aloud.

"So, you've forgiven him." Charlie said grimly.

Bella's voice and eyebrows shot up. She noticed Jacob scowling at her across the table. "Seriously?" She snapped. "That's what you think?" She focused her gaze on Jacob. "And you can stop glaring at me like that!"

"I have every right to." He retorted bitterly.

"Actually, you don't!" Bella accused. "I thought you knew me. I thought you understood."

Her words hit Jacob where it hurt. He continued to stare at her; his brows drawing down into a deep frown. She looked back at him wordlessly, her brown eyes reflecting the deep hurt she was feeling. They stared at each other for a long time, having a whole conversation with their eyes alone.

"Stop that!" Charlie said irritably. His words snapped Bella and Jacob out of their trance. Their heads turned in his direction at the same time in one fluid motion. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Bella blinked in confusion.

"Talk with your eyes like that." Charlie ground his teeth in frustration as he levelled his gaze at Jacob. "You've forgiven her, haven't you?"

"I don't need to forgive her. She's telling the truth." Jacob flashed her a guilty smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"I'll accept your apology." Bella sniffed. She decided to be magnanimous and let this one go. "Don't doubt me again."

"I will." Jacob said with a teasing grin. "But you'll forgive me. You always do."

Bella poked her tongue out at him. Jacob snorted with laughter which did nothing to endear either of them to Charlie.

"Stop acting so childish." He berated them. "This is serious."

Bella took a deep breath. She knew all of this was coming from a place of love, but her father was forgetting that she was officially an adult now. She knew she had put him through a lot of stress and worry over the last year, but that didn't give him the right to treat her like a child. She had done her upmost to make it up to him by following his list of rules without a single complaint. Anyone else in her shoes would have rebelled by now, but she was desperate for him to trust her again, but now she could see that might be an impossibility.

"You have to relax the rules, Dad. I have done nothing wrong. I can't stop Edward writing to me, but I can assure you I haven't communicated with him other than to tell him bluntly to leave me alone."

"He's been stalking you?" Charlie questioned tensely.

Stalking was the wrong word. It was more than that, Edward felt he had a sense of entitlement over her which she was having trouble escaping from. He was possessive to the point of obsession. She knew he was jealous of her close bond with Jacob. Hated it in fact. It was only because the wolves patrolled her house that she was able to escape his attentions at home, but that didn't stop him still attempting to be around her in any way he could, even if it was by a letter posted through the door.

"Bella, answer me!" Charlie demanded when she didn't respond straight away. "Is he hassling you?"

Bella glanced in Jacob's direction and they had another silent conversation with their eyes. He was urging her to commit and tell Charlie that this was exactly what Edward was doing, even if she could never tell him the full extent of it. Sighing, she was the first to break eye contact as she looked at her father again. "Yes." She admitted in a low voice. "He is."

* * *

Charlie didn't procrastinate. He filed an official restraining order against Edward before Bella had time to consider the consequences. There was no way that he was going to take notice of a piece of paper, and she was proved right a few days later when he trapped her in one of the empty classrooms at school.

Edward's arms were rigid around her; his hands balled into fists, the tendons standing out. Bella gasped at the quickness of it all. She hadn't been prepared. He had come out of nowhere. She looked up at his face warily. His eyes were closed, and his jaw was strained.

"Let me go, Edward!" She yelled at him.

"I'll never forgive myself for leaving you." He whispered. "Not if I live a hundred thousand years." He opened his eyes again and stared at her miserably. "You have to stop punishing me like this, Bella. I cannot bear it."

"I am not punishing you. I just want you to leave me alone." Bella felt frustrated tears well in her eyes.

"By hanging out with that dog! He's vile and extremely dangerous, Bella." Edward's eyes flashed with anger.

Bella flinched. She was used to Jacob and all his derogatory slurs-bloodsucker, leech, parasite…Somehow hearing the same insult coming from Edward sounded harsher in his velvet voice. "Don't call him names."

"I don't know how to phrase this properly without hurting your sensibilities." Edward continued carefully; his tone was bleak. "It's going to sound cruel, I suppose. But I've come too close to losing you in the past to risk your life around such a creature. I am not…I will not tolerate anything dangerous."

"You arrogant asshole!" Bella exploded in fury. "I don't care what you can or can't tolerate. You don't own me, Edward!"

Edward's face was pained again. "Please, Bella." He whispered.

She stared into his suddenly burning golden eyes. "Please, what?"

"Please, for me. Please make a conscious effort to keep yourself safe. You cannot be around Jacob Black. His temperamental nature alone makes being around him too much of a risk."

"I haven't suffered broken bones or nearly died in his company yet. That only seems to happen when I'm around you." Bella spat. She was seething with anger at the way he was painting Jacob's character.

Edward scowled in response to her barbed comment. He pulled her tighter against his hard chest, tucking her head under his chin. "Your anger hurts my soul. I know I deserve it, but that doesn't mean I won't protect you with every fiber of my being. Do you have any concept of how much I love you?"

Bella couldn't fight him. He was just too strong. She rolled her eyes in irritation and gritted her teeth. He was kissing the top of her head now. "No werewolves." He ordered.

"Fuck off." Bella's voice was muffled against his chest. "You can't stop me from seeing Jacob."

"Then I'll have to stop you in any way I can." He sounded so utterly confident that this wouldn't be a problem that it made Bella's skin burn with indignation.

"We'll see about that." She challenged him.

Edward kissed the top of her head again and chuckled quietly. "So stubborn." He murmured. "It's already done. Right now, Carlisle is in a meeting with Sam Uley and reminding him of the terms of the treaty. The wolves have been trespassing on our lands, crossing into our territory when they patrol around your house. Your safety is again in my hands, Bella. My family and I will be the ones guarding you when you are at home in Forks…not them."

Bella froze. The entitlement, the jurisdiction in his voice frightened her. Once Jacob found out he would be outraged. She couldn't imagine Sam agreeing to those terms, but would he even have a choice if those were the terms laid down in the treaty. There were clear boundary lines between La Push and Forks. Her house stood on the wrong side. Tears of defeat welled in her eyes.

Would she ever be free?

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Seven **

Jacob nearly broke the kitchen table in the Uley's kitchen when he thumped his fist on it. As it was a large crack appeared on the hard wood. Emily glared at him indignantly. She was used to the wolves losing their temper on occasion-Jacob wasn't often guilty of it-not like hot headed Paul for example. But it didn't mean she was happy about it, especially when it involved breaking her furniture.

"You are lucky Sam wasn't here to see that." She chided him. "You know how he feels when he sees any of you losing your shit around me."

Jacob was immediately guilty. He apologised profusely as his anger drained away. "I'm sorry, Emily. I just feel so frustrated. Sam should have let me be a part of that meeting- "

"So, you could lose control like you did just now. I think Sam was right to order you to stay put, don't you?" Emily cut in.

"Dammit!" Jacob scowled, his fingers curling into fists again. He refrained from taking his aggravation out on the table again however. "Its not fair!"

"Life often isn't." Emily agreed with a heavy sigh. If life was fair, then she and Sam would have fallen in love the natural way without her cousin's heart being broken as a consequence, and she wouldn't have ended up being scarred for life. Emily didn't often dwell on what had caused the damage to her face, she loved Sam dearly and had never blamed him for it. But still her life had changed irrevocably-she had lost her good looks and also her cousin, who had once been her best friend. Outsiders often judged but none of them would ever understand.

"I'm sorry, Em." Jacob apologised again. He had caught the flicker of pain in her eyes. He knew she was thinking of the past. "I can be such an idiot sometimes."

"We all do foolish things for love, Jacob." Emily smiled with the good half of her face. "I am as guilty of that as anyone."

Jacob didn't know how to respond to that. He dropped his gaze and stared moodily at his clenched hands. No good was going to come of this meeting. He was sure of it. Carlisle had made it clear he wanted to discuss the boundary issues they were having now that his coven had decided to relocate back to Forks permanently. He knew this was Edward Cullen's way of trying to control Bella again, and also keep him away from her as much as possible. The leech was trying to get his power back in any way he could.

Emily bent down in front of the oven and pulled out a freshly cooked batch of muffins. The intoxicating scent filled the kitchen and made Jacob's mouth water in anticipation. Emily's muffins were almost as good as Bella's-not quite, but nearly. He watched as she divided them into equal portions and then passed him a plate.

"Thanks, Emily." He said gratefully.

"You know, Jake, maybe you need to look at this from a whole other angle." Emily suggested carefully.

"How do you mean?" He asked mid-chew.

"Well you are a part of the pack for sure, which may prevent you patrolling around Bella's house in your wolf form-I'm sure Sam is going to negotiate the best deal he can-but you are still Bella's friend. You can visit her any time in your human form. You can even stay over whenever you like-at Bella's invitation of course. I mean, there's nothing Edward Cullen can do about that if you are invited, right?" Emily suggested subtly.

It was like a lightbulb went off over Jacob's head. He grinned, shoving the entire muffin in his mouth in glee. "You are a genius, Emily!" He said with his mouth full. He swallowed down the muffin in one go and leapt to his feet, placing a sloppy kiss on Emily's scarred cheek as he did so.

"Where are you going, Jacob?" Emily called after him as she watched him run out the door.

"I'm going to visit my best friend." Jacob yelled back cheerfully as he gave her a quick wave and disappeared.

* * *

Freedom was so close that it was almost touchable. Signs of it were everywhere. Posters crowded together on the cafeteria walls, and the trashcans wore a colourful skirt of spilled over fliers: reminders to buy yearbooks, class rings, and announcements; deadlines to order graduation gowns, hats, and tassels; neon bright sales pitches-the juniors campaigning for class office; ominous, rose wreathed for this years prom (Bella shudder at the memory of her own). The big dance was this coming weekend, there was no way on this earth she was going to be subjected to that.

It wasn't any of this that had injected Bella's mood with positivity. No, it was her personal freedom that lightened her right now. A glimpse of escape that hadn't been there since her confrontation with Edward. Jacob had called. He wasn't angry or pissed like she had been expecting. Instead he had a plan. A PLAN! A FREAKING PLAN!

"What plan?" She had begged him.

"I'm not telling you over the phone." Jacob had laughed. "Meet me in the parking lot by your truck at lunchtime."

"Fine." Bella was irritated at the time but now she was practically skipping as she made her way past the last hurdle and out into the open air.

* * *

Jacob's face was a calm mask which she recognised when she approached him. It was the face he used when he was trying to keep his emotions in check, to keep himself under control. It made him look like Sam, the oldest of the wolves, the leader of the Quileute pack. But Jacob could never manage the perfect serenity that Sam always exuded.

"What's with the poker face?" She demanded when she reached him. She had forgotten how much this face bothered her. Though she had gotten to know Sam pretty well before the Cullens had come back-to like him, even-she'd never been able to completely shake the resentment she felt when Jacob mimicked Sam's expression. It was a stranger's face. He wasn't her Jacob when he wore it.

"The bloodsucker's been stalking you." Jacob told her. "He's coming over right now."

So that explained the Sam face. Bella felt her stomach lurch. She didn't want Jacob and Edward in the same place. She knew that Edward would try and provoke Jacob in any way he could. This was bad, really bad.

"You should go." She whispered frantically. "You can't have a confrontation here, Jacob. There are too many people around."

"This is exactly what he wants." Jacob whispered back. "I'm not an idiot, Bells. I know he wants me to lose my cool in front of a bunch of witnesses. It's not going to happen."

"Can you be sure of that?" Bella asked worriedly.

"You should wait in the truck, Bells." Jacob warned her. "Just to be safe."

"Well that's not very reassuring. I'm staying here." Bella replied stubbornly.

Jacob groaned quietly. "Of course not. Well let's get this over with." His face hardened as Edward walked toward him.

Bella looked around anxiously. She noticed the faces of her classmates. She noticed how their eyes widened as they took in all six foot seven inches of Jacob's incredible body, muscled up the way no normal sixteen-and-a-half-year-old ever had been. She saw their eyes rake over his tight black t-shirt-short sleeved, though the day was unseasonably cool-his ragged, grease smeared jeans, and his cropped glossy black hair. Edward looked like a pale shrimp in comparison to Jacob's awesomeness.

Edward stopped a few yards away from Jacob, and Bella could tell he wasn't happy with her being so close to a werewolf. His fingers were twitching as if they were itching to drag her away from Jacob's side and push her behind him for protection. To wind him up further Bella pressed herself into Jacob's side, tucking one hand in the back pocket of Jacob's jeans. Jacob's eyebrows shot up while Edward's mouth twisted into a fierce scowl.

Jacob readjusted his expression into an emotionless mask and stared at Edward. "What do you want, bloodsucker?"

"You shouldn't be here. The school grounds do not form part of your territory." Edward said in a steel hard voice.

Jacob's jaw flexed, but he kept his cool. "I'm dressed as a human today, and as a human I can go anywhere I damn well please."

Edward's scowl intensified. He really didn't have a comeback to that one. Jacob was right. "Still, you don't go to this school. That means you are trespassing."

Jacob snorted with laughter. "Is that the best you've got?"

Edward looked around pointedly, his eyes resting on the witnesses who were just barely out of hearing range. A few people were hesitating on the sidewalk, their eyes bright with expectation. Like they were hoping a fight would break out to alleviate the tedium of another Monday. Tyler Crowley nudged Austin Marks, and they both paused on their way to class.

"You need to get back to class, Bella." Edward reminded her in a low voice. "Do you really want to become the subject of small-town gossip?"

"Just go away, Edward." Bella rolled her eyes impatiently. He had lost the argument and was making a spectacle of himself.

"Why do you insist on making things so difficult?" He hissed. "I know you are upset with me but bringing your dog to school is not going to solve the problem."

Jacob was visibly fuming at this insult. Bella saw his hands tremble and she immediately took one of them, shooting him a warning look with her eyes. He shook his head and sucked in two deep lungfuls of air.

"Leave now." Edward demanded, his face turning abruptly frightening-truly frightening. For a second he was the one to lose control as he dropped his human mask and looked like…. like a vampire. He glared at Jacob with vicious, unveiled loathing making Bella gasp in shock.

Jacob raised his eyebrows and regarded Edward harshly. They faced each other in silence for a long moment. More students gathered behind Tyler and Austin. Mike was next to Ben-Mike had one hand on Ben's shoulder, like he was holding him in place.

Jacob held Bella tight to his side, angling his body so that he was between her and Edward. "What you are doing and the way you are acting is hurting her. You may think you're protecting her, but you're doing the exact opposite. Bells is tougher than you think, but your interference is making protecting her that much harder."

"No, that is on you!" Edward spat.

"No way, that is all on you, bloodsucker." Jacob retorted evenly.

Edward glowered, and his lips pulled back from his teeth ever so slightly. Bella found herself wrapping her arms around Jacob's big, warm waist in a silent gesture of protection. As if her weeny arms could actually do that. In fact, all it did do was rile Edward up further. His eyes zeroed in on her embracing Jacob and his fists clenched tighter.

"Okay, get to class." A stern voice sounded from behind. "Move along, Mr Crowley."

Bella couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Meet me after school instead, Jake." She whispered, as soon as she recognised the principals voice.

The principal, Mr Greene, pushed through the circle of spectators, his brows pressing down like an ominous storm, clouds over his small eyes. "I mean it. Detention for anyone who's still standing where when I turn around again."

The audience melted away before he was finished with his sentence.

"That includes you, Cullen." Mr Greene barked at Edward. "Do we have a problem here?"

"Not at all, Mr Greene. We were just on our way to class." Edward gave the principal an obsequious smile.

"Well get a move on then." Mr Green turned to face Jacob and his face broke out into a wide smile. "Ah, Jacob my boy, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see Bella." Jacob stuck with the truth.

"Well you better go, lad. You'll be late for your own classes and I wouldn't want a bright boy like you getting detention." Mr Greene actually reached out and shook Jacob's hand in a friendly fashion. "Tell your old man I'll call him and arrange another fishing trip. I'll call your father, too." He said to a shocked Bella. "Get the old gang back together, eh?" He joked. "Now off you go while I escort Mr Cullen back into school."

"Thanks." Jacob flashed Mr Greene a wide grin before telling Bella that he would see her after school.

Edward, clearly blindsided by the fact that the school principal and Billy Black were old friends, was forced to turn around and be escorted back into the building like a naughty school boy while Bella and Jacob exchanged their goodbyes.

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Eight**

Bella was disappointed to receive a text from Jacob a little while later telling her he couldn't meet her after school like they'd planned. Sam had called an emergency meeting with the pack after his talk with Carlisle regarding boundaries.

'_I don't know when I'll be back._" He messaged her_. 'I'm sorry.'_

Bella was incensed. This was all Edward's fault! She drove home in a bad mood. His presence in Forks was really beginning to impact on her life and she was getting sick of it. When she got home, she sat in her room and sulked, staring at the window, unconsciously biting her lip as she mulled over her options. She was itching to see Jacob and was furious that Edward's interference was stopping her. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right.

"I'm sick of this." Bella muttered under her breath after an hour had passed. "I'm going to see Jacob. Stuff Edward!" She decided.

It wouldn't take her long to make a quick run down to La Push. If Jacob wasn't in, she could sit with Billy until he returned. Or she could take a walk over to Sam and Emily's if he wasn't at home. The need to see him was like an unbearable ache. Only his smile could make her heart lighter again.

Resolved on her course of action, she grabbed her jacket and shoved her arms through the sleeves as she ran down the stairs. Charlie looked up from the game he was watching on the flat screen, instantly suspicious.

"I'm going to see Jake." Bella said breathlessly before he could open his mouth. "I won't stay long."

"You're forgetting your curfew." Charlie reminded her sharply.

"I thought you'd relaxed the rules." Bella demanded. "Do I need to remind you that I'm a legal adult, Dad?"

"Alright." Charlie conceded ungraciously. He gave up on his lecture and gave her a stern look. "Don't stay out too late….and no bikes!"

Bella just about refrained from rolling her eyes. "Thanks, Dad." She mumbled as she darted out the door.

Like any fugitive she couldn't help but look over her shoulder a few times while she jogged to her truck, but the night was black so there really was no point. She had to feel her way along the side of the old monster to find the handle. Her eyes were just beginning to adjust when as she shoved her keys into the ignition. She twisted them hard to the left, but instead of roaring deafeningly to life, the engine just clicked. She tried again with the same results.

And then a small motion in her peripheral vision made her jump.

"Shit." She gasped in shock when she saw that she wasn't alone in the cab.

Edward sat very still, a faint bright light spot in the darkness, only his hands moving as he turned a mysterious black object around and around. He stared at the object as he spoke.

"Alice saw what you were doing."

Bella scowled in annoyance. She had forgotten to account for Alice in her plans. She hadn't spoken to the little psychic since her return, blocking all calls or attempts to speak when she approached her in school.

"She guessed you were going to see the dog when your future abruptly disappeared five minutes ago."

Bella didn't respond and just glared at him fiercely.

"She can't see the wolves. When you decide to mingle your fate with theirs, you disappear, too."

Now that was an interesting titbit of information, Bella thought silently. She locked it away for future use.

"Your future got lost, just like theirs." Edward continued to ramble. "We're not sure why that is. Some natural defence they were born with?" He turned the piece of her truck's engine over and over in his hands. "I don't think that's right since I can read their thoughts. The Black's at least. Carlisle theorises that it's because their lives are so ruled by their transformations. Its more an involuntary reaction than a decision. Utterly unpredictable, and it changes everything about them. In that instant when they shift from one form to another, they don't really even exist. The future can't hold them…."

Bella listened to his musings with interest. Without even realising it he was giving her a lot of useful information she could pass on to the wolves.

"I'll put your car back together in time for school." He promised.

Bella shrugged as she retrieved her keys from the ignition and stiffly climbed back out of the truck.

"I'm just trying to protect you, Bella. I can take your anger as long as I know that you're safe." He called to her.

Bella regarded him thoughtfully. "Would you like to come in?" She offered.

Edward looked at her in surprise. A hopeful smile lit up his handsome face. "Thank you, Bella." He made as if to climb out of the truck before hesitating again. "But Charlie is inside the house. What about the restraining order?" He queried.

"But I'm inviting you in, Edward." Bella gave him her most charming smile. "Unless you don't want to come inside." She pouted slightly, lowering her gaze as if his reluctance had hurt her.

Edward was instantly beside her, full of apologies. He took her hand and she let him. He was still holding the car part in his other hand. "I knew you would forgive me eventually." He said, smiling at her affectionately. "We'll go in together and show your father a united front."

Bella didn't answer him. Instead she let her hand rest in his as she led the way back into the house. Charlie was still sitting in his recliner when they walked into the front room. As soon as the police chief set eyes on Edward the blood rushed to his face and he jumped up in anger.

"What the hell is this insolent prick doing in my house, Bella?" He raged, shouting the words.

"Bella invited me, sir." Edward said calmly, his tone saturated with false politeness.

Charlie ignored him and focused on Bella instead. "Explain yourself, young lady!" He yelled.

"I brought Edward inside to see you, Dad." Bella pulled her hand out of Edward's and walked over to her father's side. Her eyes turned hard as she looked back at Edward, the anger that had been pulsing just below the surface since he had messed with her truck now unleashed. "I found him outside messing with the engine to my truck. He disabled it deliberately so I couldn't drive it to La Push to see Jacob. See, he's holding the evidence in his hand." She accused, pointing at the car part Edward was clutching in his fist.

Charlie's face went bright red as his eyes tightened. "Did you forget that you have a restraining order against you?" He growled menacingly at Edward.

"But, sir, I…" Edward sputtered. He was at a loss for words. He looked toward Bella; the dawning comprehension clear on his face as he realised, she had duped him into coming inside. "There has been a misunderstanding…"

Bella watched in satisfaction as Charlie went into full cop mode and began to read Edward his rights. "Edward Cullen, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…."

* * *

Bella's truck was positively wheezing by the time it grated to a stop in front of the familiar faded red house in La Push. A lump came into her throat as she stared at the little place that had become her refuge. Before she cut the engine, Jacob was standing in the door, his face breaking out into a huge smile of greeting.

"You made it" He crowed.

"Hey, Jake!"

"Bella, Bella, Bella!" Jacob yelled back; his smile was so wide it had to be hurting his cheeks. His teeth gleamed bright against his russet skin. He ran to the truck and yanked her out of the open door, and then they were both jumping up and down like little kids. "I was worried you might not make it. I was just about to drive over to Forks."

"Hey, Bella!" Billy rolled his chair into the doorway to see what all the fuss was about.

"Hey, Bill- "

Just then her air got choked off-Jacob had grabbed her up into a bear hug and swung her around in a circle.

"Can't breathe." She gasped.

Jacob laughed and put her down. Billy was laughing too. He motioned for Jacob to bring her inside. "The chief called." He said to Bella gleefully as he rolled his chair into the house.

"He did?" Bella suddenly looked shifty.

"Uh-huh." There was an amused twinkle in Billy's dark eyes that was hard to miss.

Jacob gazed at his father curiously. "Am I missing something here?" He wondered aloud.

Billy chuckled again. "Do you want to tell him or shall I?" He asked Bella.

"You tell him."

"Well someone tell me!" Jacob said in exasperation.

"Charlie just arrested his first vampire." Billy revealed.

_**A/N-thank you for reading!**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Nine**

Bella and Jacob started walking, too keyed up to sit still in the house. Jacob was practically bouncing as he moved, and Bella had to remind him a few times that her legs weren't ten feet long as she tried to match his pace. Jacob was just so excited; he couldn't get over the fact that Bella had got Edward Cullen arrested. He was so proud of her. Her actions served to quell the small nagging doubts that had been secretly plaguing him that she might go back to the bloodsucker.

As they walked, Bella could already feel herself settling into the true version of herself, the self she was with Jacob. When she was with him, she felt a little younger, a little less responsible. Someone who might, on occasion, do something really stupid for no good reason.

Their exuberance lasted all the way past the store, until they shoved through the thick scrub that ringed the far edge of First Beach. Jacob asked her to tell him the story of Edward's arrest again, and when she repeated it, embellishing it a little more this time, his bellowing laugh echoed back from the trees. But all too soon their conversation turned to the hard parts, specifically Jacob's emergency meeting with Sam and the rest of the pack.

"So, what's the story?" Bella asked him as they ambled along the beach.

Jacob sighed, kicking a piece of driftwood out of his way with too much force. It sailed over the sand and then clattered against the rocks. "Let's just say it was damn lucky that I wasn't at the original meeting with Sam and Dr, Fang."

"What does that mean?" Bella asked anxiously.

Jacob took a deep breath as he struggled for the words to explain himself. "Basically, Dr, Fang was under the impression that everything was going to go back to the way it was before they left. He wanted the old boundaries to remain in place."

"What?" Bella exploded. "Is he stupid or something?" Her hostility toward the whole family was growing every day. How could they expect everything to remain the same and expect the wolves to just accept it? She took a moment to compose herself. "What did Sam say?"

"He made it clear that everything had changed." Jacob had to admire Uley's cool head. He would have used much more colourful language in getting his point across.

"And?" Bella prompted him impatiently.

"Oh, he told Dr, Fang that due to the new threat that we were all facing, he couldn't expect us to adhere to the old treaty. We had been the ones protecting Forks all this time. Old Fang had no answer to that!" Jacob smiled at the thought.

"I can't believe Carlisle had the audacity to think otherwise." Bella muttered indignantly. She trailed behind Jacob, deep in thought, as they walked toward a huge, familiar piece of driftwood-an entire tree, roots and all, bleached white and beached deep in the sand; it was their tree, in a way.

Jacob sat down on the natural bench and patted the space next to him. Bella settled beside him and looked up at his handsome face expectantly. "So, what happened after Sam told Dr, F…I mean Carlisle to go and stick the treaty up his chilly ass." She corrected herself with a smirk.

A wide grin spread across Jacob's face as he tried not to laugh. "You really are over the vamps, aren't you?"

Bella rolled her eyes and motioned for him to continue.

"I won't get into the technicalities of the whole thing. There was a lot of back and forth, a lot of negotiating. Some compromise." He scowled at that part. "But essentially we are going to try and rub along together until the threat is gone. Forks is now neutral territory."

"So, you can come and go as you please-human or wolf?" Bella checked.

"Exactly." Jacob was pleased about that. He stretched his long arms pretending to yawn before settling one across Bella's shoulders.

"Smooth, Jake, very smooth." Bella said, laughing.

"I try." Jacob teased.

They were silent for a while as they just stared at the ocean rolling toward them. It was chilly. A cold breeze ruffled Bella's hair and she was grateful for Jacob's warmth. He was like her own personal space heater.

"Do you realise this is the first time we've been properly alone without Charlie or my Dad keeping watch on us?" Jacob was the first to break the comfortable silence.

"I suppose it is." Bella agreed absently. She was absorbed in watching the surf creep up the beach before receding again.

Jacob glanced down at the top of her head. Bella was wearing a dreamy expression and he wondered what she was thinking about. Maybe him? He was forever the optimist. He let another minute of silence pass before he broached the subject he really wanted to talk about.

"Bells, you can tell me to shut up if you want- "

"Shut up, Jake."

"Ha ha!" He scoffed. He cleared his throat a few times causing Bella to look up at him suspiciously. "I want to ask you something."

"Clearly." She said, raising her eyebrows. "What do you want to know?"

"What happened in Italy?"

Bella frowned. "Way to spoil the moment, Jake." She muttered.

"Sorry." Jacob flashed his puppy dog eyes in apology.

"Don't give me that look." Bella complained. She was tense now, her shoulders hunched. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." He conceded amiably.

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Jacob said innocently.

"Stop pushing me, Jake. I don't want to talk about it."

Jacob raised his hands in a sign of parley. "I understand."

Bella scowled at him in irritation. "Dammit, Jake, you win."

"I do?"

"I'll have to start with the stuff you were already there for." She mumbled. She fell silent as she tried to organise the sequence of events in her head. "You know Alice sees things?"

This time it was Jacob who scowled. None of the pack were thrilled that the legends of vampires possessing supernatural gifts were true. He kept silent though as Bella proceeded to fill him in about her race through Italy to rescue Edward. She kept it as succinct as possible-leaving out anything that wasn't essential. She tried to read Jacob's reactions, but his face was enigmatic as she explained how Alice had seen Edward's plan to kill himself when he'd heard she was dead. Sometimes Jacob's brows pulled down as if he was deep in thought.

"The fortune telling bloodsucker can't see us?" He interrupted for the first time. "Seriously? That's excellent!"

"I knew you'd think so." Bella said caustically before she continued on with the story.

Jacob's response was easier to read when she got to the part about the Volturi. His teeth clenched together, goose bumps appeared on his arms, and his nostrils flared. "So, the dick stepped out in the sunlight in the middle of a packed festival, hoping that his sparkling skin would provoke the Vol…Vol…"

"Volturi."

"Why would they be provoked by that? Wouldn't the festivalgoers just assume the plank had doused himself in glittery body paint or something? I mean there was a whole street party going on, and you said they were all dressed up in weird costumes anyway?" Jacob was bemused by Edward's actions. They seemed completely bizarre.

Bella was flummoxed by this, because when you put it in perspective like that, Jacob was right. "I didn't think about that."

"The little psychic had sent you into a tailspin that's why." Jacob did his best to comfort her. "What happened next?"

Bella rushed through the last part. She didn't go into specifics, she just told him that Edward had talked them out of trouble, without revealing the promise they'd had to make, Jacob didn't need to have her nightmares. "Now you know the whole story." She concluded with a sigh.

Bella watched Jacob carefully. He was staring out across the waves with a thoughtful expression on his face, his lips pursed.

"What are you thinking about, Jake?" She asked after a long quiet time.

"I'm thinking about what you told me. About when the fortune-teller saw you cliff jumping and thought you'd committed suicide, and how it all got out of control….Do you realise that if you had just waited for me like you were supposed to, then the little psychic wouldn't have been able to see you jump? Nothing would have changed. We'd probably be in my garage right now like every other Saturday. There wouldn't be any vampires in Forks, and you and me…." He trailed off, deep in thought.

Bella didn't know what to say to that. Everything he said was true. It was her stupid decision to jump off the cliff that had set off a chain of events she couldn't control. She remembered with clarity just how desperate she had been in that moment, right before she jumped. Her ever increasing need to hear Edward's voice had driven her over the edge. Landing in the cold water and nearly dying had certainly given her a wake-up call. She had nearly killed herself and for what? She knew it was at that point-when Jacob had pulled her out and was breathing life back into her-that her feelings about Edward had turned from despair to anger.

"Edward would have come back anyway." She said sullenly.

"Are you sure about that?"

"He told me so himself." Bella looked at Jacob miserably. "So, we would have ended up in this position anyway."

"Fucking bloodsucker." Jacob cussed under his breath as he dragged his fingers through his shaggy hair. He had grown it out of the short crop.

"I'm sorry, Jake." Bella said softly. She reached out and took his hand.

Jacob closed his fingers over hers and held on tightly. "Don't be sorry. Like you said he would have come back anyway." He looked back out toward the ocean.

"My biggest regret was leaving you, Jake." Bella admitted in a low voice.

Her quiet admission brought his gaze back to her. He pressed her hand to his fever warm chest. Through his t-shirt, she could feel the steady beating of his heart under her palm. Bella smiled at him as she let her hand rest there. There was something soothing about the rhythm of his heart.

Bella could see his love for her reflected in his expressive dark eyes. It was both thrilling and frightening all at the same time. She felt her own heart fluttering in her chest the longer she held his gaze. She didn't want to analyse what that meant right now. All she knew for certain was that Jacob was a huge part of her, and there was no way she would ever want to change that now.

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Ten**

Jacob's hand curled around Bella's as they walked slowly along the beach. Jacob seemed deep in thought which concerned Bella. They did a full circumnavigation of the beach before returning to sit back down on the same piece of driftwood as before. Jacob kept a hold of her hand, not seeming to want to let it go. Something was clearly troubling him.

Bella started to babble to fill the silence, hoping that he would eventually open up to her. "How are Sam and Emily?" She asked.

"Good." Jacob's one-word answer wasn't very forthcoming.

"And Embry?" Bella tried again. "Did Quil…?"

"Ah, Quil." Jacob broke in before she could even complete her sentence.

Bella was saddened by the resignation in his tone. So, it must have happened-Quil must have joined the pack. "I'm sorry." She mumbled.

"Don't say that to him." Jacob continued sardonically.

"What do you mean?"

"Quil's not looking for a pity party. Just the opposite. He's totally thrilled."

This made no sense to Bella. The other wolves had been so depressed at the idea of their friend sharing their fate. "I don't understand."

"Quil thinks it's the coolest thing that's ever happened to him. Part of it is finally knowing what's going on. And he's excited to have his friends back-to be part of the 'in crowd.'" Jacob shook his head. "Shouldn't be surprised, I guess. It's so Quil."

"Then why the sad face, Jake?" Bella squeezed his fingers. "If Quil likes it…?"

"Honestly, most of them do." Jacob admitted. "There are definitely good sides to this-the speed, the freedom, the strength…the sense of family. Sam and I are the only ones who ever felt really bitter. And Sam got past that a long time ago. So, I'm the only cry baby now."

"What are you not telling me?" Bella looked at him in concern.

Jacob's eyes tightened, and he frowned unhappily. "I never want to keep things from you."

"Then don't." Bella said softly. "You can trust me, Jake."

Jacob looked her right in the eyes and she was completely stunned by the despair in his. He looked almost frightened, his grasp on her hand tightened as if afraid she was going to suddenly rip hers away and make a run for it. "It's been killing me ever since I found out."

"Found out what?"

A tremor rippled through Jacob's body as he wrenched his despairing gaze from hers. He didn't let go of her hand, though. "You know that Sam used to date Leah Clearwater…" His expression tightened, like something painful was coming.

"Yes." Bella said carefully.

"When Sam changed, he couldn't tell Leah. We aren't supposed to tell anyone who doesn't have to know. And it wasn't really safe for him to be around her-but he cheated, just like I did with you. Leah was furious that he wouldn't tell her what was going on-where he'd been, where he went at night, why he was always so exhausted-but they were working it out. They were trying. They loved each other."

"Did she find out? Is that what happened?" Bella gave his hand another gentle squeeze. "Jake, you don't have to worry about any of that with me. I already know everything."

"You don't know this." Jacob's voice was thick with anguish. "Leah didn't find out. Her cousin, Emily Young, came down from the Makah reservation to visit her for one weekend."

Bella felt a chill ripple down her spine. "Emily is Leah's cousin?"

"Second cousins. They're close, though. They were like sisters when they were kids."

"That's…. horrible. How could Sam…?" Bella trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief that the kind and motherly Emily could betray Leah like that. And Sam, too.

"You can't judge him, Bells." Jacob pleaded thickly. "I need you to understand." He saw her face darken and he lowered his gaze to their joined hands. "Did anyone…Have you ever heard of imprinting?"

"Imprinting?" Bella repeated the unfamiliar word. "No. What's that mean?"

"Its one of those bizarre things we have to deal with. It doesn't happen to everyone. In fact, it's the rare exception, not the rule. Sam had heard all the stories by then, the stories we all used to think were legends. He'd heard of imprinting, but he never dreamed…"

"Go on." Bella said stiffly.

Jacob's dark eyes strayed to the ocean. "Sam did love Leah. But when he saw Emily, that didn't matter anymore. Sometimes…we don't know exactly why…we find our mates that way." His eyes flashed back to hers, his face reddening. "I mean…our soul mates."

"What way? Love at first sight?" Bella scoffed.

Jacob's dark eyes registered his hurt at her scathing tone. "It's a little bit more powerful than that. More absolute."

"You're serious, aren't you?" Bella whispered.

"Yeah, I am."

"Love at first sight? But more powerful?" Bella tried to take it in.

"It's not easy to explain…" Jacob shook his head in defeat.

Bella focused her gaze toward the jagged rocks that rose from the ocean like stubby broken off fingers on the south rim of the harbour, while she tried to make sense of it all. She could feel Jacob's eyes on her face, waiting for her to say something.

"Are you telling me this because it's happened to you?" She finally asked, still looking away. She felt sick at heart at the thought of some random stranger stealing Jacob's heart without earning it. "This love-at-first-sight thing."

Jacob winced, his other hand that wasn't holding hers reaching for her face. "I couldn't keep it from you anymore."

"Dammit, Jake!" Bella demanded as she slowly began to lose her temper. "How could you keep this to yourself this whole time?"

Secretly, she was relieved. The thought of some stranger having a claim on her Jacob scared her. But on the other hand, the whole imprinting thing brought up the question of whether Jacob's feelings for her were his own or prompted by this mystical, wolfy connection between the two of them. It made her miserable that what he was feeling wasn't genuine. How did Emily exist like that, knowing that Sam had once loved her own cousin before imprinting happened?

"I didn't want to burden you with it. And I was frightened it would scare you off. I know you didn't need more of the supernatural than you already had to deal with." Jacob cried passionately.

"You still should have told me!" Bella argued. "This whole time I thought you wanted to be my friend because of your own free will not because of some mystical wolf thing that forced you into it."

"I hadn't even turned wolf when I met you, idiot." Jacob retorted.

"Don't you dare call me an idiot, Jacob Ephraim Black!" Bella snapped, yanking her hand out of his.

"Will you shut up, Bella!" Jacob snapped back at her. "Jeez, you are so frustrating!"

"Some soul mate you are telling me to shut up." Bella fumed. "I bet Sam never tells Emily to shut up."

"If she carried on like you, he probably would." Jacob muttered darkly. "Are you even going to let me finish explaining or not?"

"Fine." Bella gestured at him angrily to go ahead.

"You know that Emily was really angry too in the beginning. After it happened Sam was able to tell her everything. There are no rules that can bind you when you find your other half. She tried to reject Sam, but its hard to resist that level of commitment and adoration."

"Is that why you've stayed even after all the crap I've thrown at you?" Bella asked quietly as she felt her resentment toward him simmering down.

"No. I stayed because I love you, Bella. My feelings are my own, and have nothing to do with imprinting. I loved you before I changed and I love you now. But you know that already." Jacob said huskily. His lips pursed as he looked away from her, frowning. "After it happened Sam wouldn't let me see you at first."

"Why?"

"You know how Emily got hurt?"

"Yeah." The story in Forks was that Emily had been mauled by a bear, but she was in on the secret.

"It was Sam. It was an accident." Jacob explained. "Emily was standing too close and Sam lost control for one second."

_Werewolves are unstable_, Edward had said. _The people near them get hurt._

"Sam was so afraid that the same could happen again…to us…considering how you were at the time." Jacob continued with difficulty. "But I would never have hurt you, Bella. You have to believe me. I…."

"Shut up, Jake." Bella interrupted him, smiling weakly. "_I know that."_

Jacob smiled back at her tentatively, his tense posture relaxing. "It was a nightmare staying away from you. I was in such a mess. The way I act…"

"Jake, I think we can skip that part." Bella sighed, not really wanting to relive the memory of the past. "I can see Sam's point of view and I can see yours." She laughed wryly. "You managed to get around his order, though."

"Yeah." Jacob agreed. "You know, Sam was so horrified, so sickened by himself, so full of hate for what he'd done…. He would have thrown himself under a bus if it would have made Emily feel better. He might have anyway, just to escape what he'd done. He was shattered…. then somehow, she was the one comforting him, and after that…" Jacob fell silent after that and he hung his head.

"Poor Emily." Bella murmured. "Poor Sam. Poor Leah…"

"Yeah, Leah got the worst end of the stick." Jacob shook his head, sighing again.

They both fell silent as they looked over at the ocean. Jacob settled closer to Bella, so that he was leaning against her arm. He was so warm. After a minute of this, she shrugged out of her rain jacket. Jacob made a little sound of contentment in the back of his throat, and rested his cheek on top of her head. She could feel the sun heat her skin-though it was not quite as warm as Jacob.

"Why did you decide to tell me now, Jake? Why today?" Bella asked eventually after some time had passed.

"Because this is the first time we've been properly alone. Because I finally felt it was the right time. You've been so different since you got back. I didn't want to hide it anymore. I don't want to keep secrets from you, Bells. You need to have all the facts." Jacob responded earnestly.

"Thank you for being honest with me." Bella twisted her right hand to the side, and watched the sun glitter subtly off the scar James had left there. She shivered slightly at the memory of his attack.

"What are you thinking about now?" Jacob caught her movement and looked at her anxiously.

"I just miss the way it used to be so easy…uncomplicated." Bella sighed, feeling guilty as she looked up into Jacob's troubled eyes. "It's going to take me a while to get my head around this imprinting thing, Jake."

"I know that." Jacob reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear with his fingers. "Take however long you need."

"You're incredibly patient. Is that an imprint thing?" Bella teased.

"Nah, that's a me thing." Jacob smiled.

Bella smiled back until worry clouded her eyes again. "When I left for Italy, Jake? This connection…. I mean…if it's as intense as you say-the way you described how it was for Sam and Emily. How did you…?"

"That's a question for another day." Jacob interjected briskly, not really wanting to talk about the dark days when she was gone and he had been obsessively searching the flight schedules, convinced that she would come back to him. _Without Sam, Emily and his brothers…_. he left the thought unfinished. He brushed his fingers across her cheek and smiled. "Come on, this wolf is getting hungry." He rose to his feet and caught her hand, pulling her up with him.

"Again?" Bella said in disbelief.

Jacob laughed as he tucked her hand in his and smiled at her again, the warm familiar smile that she had missed so much. She felt an answering smile spread across her face as they began the journey back to his house.

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Eleven**

As Bella drove home, she wasn't paying attention to the road that shimmered wetly in the sun. She was thinking of information Jacob had shared with her, trying to sort it out, to force it all to make sense. The whole imprint conversation had come out of left field and she was left feeling overwhelmed with the enormity of what this meant for her future. Despite the overload, she did feel lighter. Being with Jacob, seeing him smile had eased her worries over Edward.

She was so preoccupied it came out of nowhere. One minute there was nothing but bright highway in her rearview mirror. The next minute, the sun was glinting off a silver Volvo right on her tail.

"He can't be out already?" Bella was horrified. When Charlie had arrested Edward, she thought he would be incarcerated for a good few hours before Carlisle bought him out. But money talks, she should have guessed that the family had some fancy pants lawyer on speed dial.

Bella gripped the steering wheel tightly as she considered pulling over and giving Edward a piece of her mind. Would he ever learn? What more did she need to do to convince him to leave her the fuck alone? In the end she decided to drive straight home and try to ignore him, she was hoping Charlie would be home to act as a buffer so Edward would be forced to hover outside. She didn't know who was watching the house. The wolves and the vamps had forged an uneasy alliance in their attempt to keep her safe. Forks may be neutral territory now, but if it was the Cullens turn on Bella watch, then there was no way she could prevent Edward sneaking into her room.

The Volvo continued to follow inches behind her. Bella kept her eyes on the road ahead. She was beginning to feel intimidated. What if Charlie wasn't at home? What would she do then? Bella tried to figure out her options. She could do an about turn and drive the wheezing truck back to La Push, but Jacob wasn't at home anymore. When she'd left, he'd gone to join his brothers on patrol. And if she did land back at Billy's, then she would have to explain all about Edward following her-the revised treaty was still in the early stages-did she really want to jeopardize that? And if Jake found out that Edward was stalking her again, he would kick off and things could escalate beyond control.

Full of frustration Bella came to the conclusion there was only one place she could go. She changed direction and drove straight to Angela Weber's house instead of her own. Bella glanced in her wing mirror and her gaze met Edward's burning one. He was fiercely angry with her. Bella's irritation with him boiled over and she gave him the finger, knowing he could see her actions reflected in the truck's wide wing mirror.

Her rude gesture didn't stop him pursuing her all the way to the Weber's house. Bella pulled up at the curb and watched as Edward passed. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the tail end of the Silver Volvo disappearing down the road. She had managed to thwart him this time, but for how much longer?

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Bella ran up the short concrete walk to Angela's front door. Ben answered it before she could finish knocking, like he'd been standing right behind it.

"Hey, Bella!" He said, surprised.

"Hi, Ben. Um….is Angela here?" Bella cringed at the stupid question. Of course, Angela was inside if Ben was there!

"Sure." Ben said just as Angela bounced into view.

There was the sound of a car on the road. Bella panicked-immediately thinking it was Edward coming back. But as soon as she heard the loud pop of an exhaust backfiring, she was reassured. That was nothing like the purr of the Volvo.

"Austin's here. I'm off, Angela." Ben pulled Angela close and kissed her softly. "I miss you already."

Austin honked his horn impatiently.

"Idiot." Ben muttered as he threw his arm around Angela and kissed her again enthusiastically. When they broke apart, he was grinning and Angela was breathless. "Bye, Ange! Love you!" He laughed as he winked at Bella and dashed past her out the door to meet Austin.

Angela smiled at Bella shyly, her face slightly pink, then she recovered herself and waved until Ben and Austin were out of sight. She turned and shut the door. "It's good to see you, Bella."

"You, too." Bella said overenthusiastically. Angela would never know just how much she had saved her. "I hope you don't mind me dropping by like this."

"Not at all. It's been ages since with we've hung out together."

Bella knew Angela was just being polite. They hardly ever saw each other out of school hours. She followed Angela up the stairs to her room. Angela kicked toys out of the way as she went. The house was unusually quiet.

"Where's your family?"

"My parents took the twins to a birthday party in Port Angeles." Angela laughed. "It's not often that I get any peace and quiet." She sat down on the edge of her bed and motioned for Bella to join her. "So, how are you?" She asked.

"Okay, I guess." Bella replied cautiously as she sat next to Angela.

"You say that like you're not sure."

Bella shrugged. "Maybe I'm not."

"Is it Edward?" Angela probed gently. Everyone at school had been talking about the frosty atmosphere between Bella and Edward now he had unexpectedly returned to Forks with his family.

"Yes." Bella admitted with a heavy sigh.

Angela focused all her attention on Bella as she observed her carefully. "Has he done something?" She asked in a low voice. "You seem…anxious." When Bella didn't answer immediately, she began to backtrack. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I'll listen if it will help."

Bella was just about to say thanks, but no thanks. After all, there were too many secrets she was bound to keep. She really couldn't discuss her problems with someone human. This was against the rules.

And yet, with a strange, sudden intensity, that's exactly what she wanted. She wanted to talk to a normal human girlfriend. She wanted to moan a little bit, like any teenage girl. She wanted her problems to be simple. It would also be nice to have someone outside of the whole vampire-werewolf mess to put things in perspective.

"I'll mind my own business. I'm sorry, Bella." Angela apologized.

"No." Bella grabbed Angela's hand, causing the other girl to look at her in surprise. "You're right. I am anxious. It's…it's Edward."

"What's wrong?"

It was so easy to talk to Angela. When she asked a question like that, Bella could tell that she wasn't just morbidly curious or looking for gossip, like her other friend, Jessica, would have been. Angela cared that she was upset.

"He won't leave me alone."

"He's stalking you?" Angela was alarmed. "You have to tell someone, Bella. Like your dad. He can help. I'll come with you if you want." She offered.

Bella smiled gratefully. "Thank you, but my dad already knows."

"And what is he doing about it?"

"He took out a restraining order against Edward." Bella confessed.

"Wow!" Angela's dark eyes were wide behind her thick glasses. "That's huge."

"Yeah."

"I bet he's mad."

"He's not just mad about that." Bella felt a headache forming above her eyes as she thought about Edward. "Do you remember Jacob Black?"

"I do." Angela tapped her forefinger on her chin. "Edward's jealous, isn't he?"

"Not just jealous…." Bella wished she had kept her mouth shut. There was no way she could explain this right without giving too much away. She kept talking anyway. "Edward thinks that Jacob is…. a bad influence, I guess. Sort of…dangerous. And he's not at all. Edward is just being a judgmental piece of…"

Angela put a calming hand over Bella's when her words began to get heated. "Bella, I've seen how Jacob Black looks at you. Edward doesn't really think he's dangerous…he is jealous. Simple as that. The green-eyed monster makes people do stupid things."

They both fell into contemplative silence for a while; Angela was the first to break it. "So, how do you feel about Jacob? Are you thinking of him as a potential boyfriend?"

"It's not like that with Jacob. We're close. Super close. We share a bond that…." Bella paused, realizing she may have said too much. There was no way she could mention the imprint. "Jacob is my best friend." She finished lamely.

"You are allowed to move on, Bella." Angela said gently. "And I've seen the way you look at Jacob, too."

"Oh." Bella frowned, ducking her head when her cheeks began to burn.

"Don't worry about Edward, Bella. He'll just have to get over it. And I'm sure he'll stay away now that your dad has put a restraining order in place." Angela patted her hand and smiled reassuringly.

"_If only that were true!"_ Bella thought sadly.

Angela changed the subject. She wasn't one to pry too much and seemed to sense that Bella wouldn't-couldn't-say anymore. "I got my dorm assignment yesterday…."

Bella forced a smile as she listened to Angela talk about her plans for college. She would be attending the University of Washington with Ben. They would be off to Seattle in a few months. Bella felt suddenly bereft. Things were moving so fast and she was feeling left behind. She tried to shake off her unhappy thoughts as a swell of sadness crashed over her. Angela knew where her life was going, but Bella had no idea at all.

* * *

It was late when Bella left Angela's. She had phoned ahead to check that Charlie was back home before setting off. She was jumpy on the way to her truck, but the street was empty. She spent the whole drive glancing anxiously in all her mirrors, thinking this was no way to live. Thankfully there was no sign of the silver car as she made it home unscathed.

"Bella?" Charlie called when she opened the front with her key.

"Hey, Dad." Bella found him in the living room in front of the flat screen.

Charlie got up and reached out to give his daughter an unaccustomed hug. "I feel like I've let you down, kiddo." He admitted gruffly.

"What?" Bella jerked back in surprise. "Why would you think that?"

Charlie scowled. "Cullen is out. Dr, Cullen brought his attorney with him. Even though his son breached the terms of the restraining order there weren't any grounds to keep him locked up indefinitely."

"I didn't expect anything else." Bella smiled weakly. "It's okay, Dad. You did as much as you could."

"He'll have to stay away now, Bells. If he breaches the order again, he'll be hauled up in front of a judge next time."

As if that would stop Edward! He'd already broken the order by following her to Angela's. Bella let Charlie hug her again in comfort as he promised to step up his efforts to make sure Cullen kept his distance. She was grateful for his support but knew Charlie's efforts were in vain. No restraining order, no prison bars would be able to stop a vampire.

* * *

Bella stayed downstairs with Charlie until the last possible moment. It was nearly midnight. She had school in the morning. There was no way she could delay things any longer. Glumly, she bid Charlie goodnight and trudged up the stairs, waiting to meet her fate.

With a shaking hand she pushed open her bedroom door expecting to see Edward waiting angrily on the other side of it. But he wasn't there, someone else was instead.

"Jacob!" Bella cried in relief as she flung herself into his waiting arms.

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Twelve**

Jacob was bowled over by the enthusiasm of her greeting. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I am now." Bella snuggled against him. He was her safe place. His hug was stronger than anything she'd ever known. She pressed every inch of her body against him, her heart quickening at his reassuring presence. In that moment of feeling him so close she felt more awake somehow, more alive than she had been in a very long time. She was safe within the walls of his arms, protected. This hug felt different from all the others, whether it was the imprint he had spoken about, or something inside her had shifted, all she knew was that she didn't want him to let her go.

Jacob stroked the back of her hair, resting his chin on top of her head as he listened to her erratic heartbeat. Something had spooked her. She may say she was fine, but she really wasn't. "I hope you don't mind me being here." He said, still caressing her luxuriant hair.

"I'm glad." Bella whispered. She closed her eyes and drank in his warmth. "Although I thought you were on patrol."

"I was." Jacob continued slowly. "But I felt like you needed me."

That statement made her open her eyes. She pulled her head back from its resting place on his chest and looked up at his face. He smiled down at her, cupping the back of her head. "Explain?" She demanded quietly.

"I can't." Jacob shrugged, still smiling that tender smile. "It's just a feeling I get about you sometimes."

"Like when I'm upset or angry? Like my pain is your pain." Bella mused as she dropped her gaze to the hand she had splayed across his impressive chest. She laughed, suddenly feeling shy and awkward. What was wrong with her? It was just Jacob.

"Kinda." Jacob's smile turned teasing. He was well aware of the affect he was having on her. Bella's flushed cheeks gave her away.

"I've felt that before." She admitted, she had intended to take her hand away from his chest, but instead she left it there, feeling the strong beat of his heart under her touch.

"You have?" Now it was Jacob's turn to be surprised. "When?"

"A few times." Bella tried to make light of it. "Mainly when you're unhappy and I'm the cause of it."

"Oh." Jacob nodded in understanding. He didn't press the point, seeming to get that she wasn't ready to discuss it further. He took a deep breath, his brows pulling down into a deep frown. "I have something to confess."

"What?" Bella looked up at his handsome face curiously. She hated seeing him frown. She reached out and lightly traced her forefinger across his furrowed brow to smooth away the lines. Her touch did seem to have some kind of effect as his posture relaxed.

"I didn't just come because I felt you needed me." Jacob said. "I came to warn Cullen to stay away from you. I had an inkling he would try and come to you tonight and I was right."

"You've seen Edward?" Bella asked in alarm. Her hand dropped back to her side as she stared at him in trepidation. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Jacob shrugged again as if it was no big deal. "I just reminded him that he's breaking the terms of his restraining order by hanging around outside the house. He gave the usual excuses but I wasn't going to put up with that. I said to him I would march right over to his house right now and speak to Dr, Fang if he didn't clear off. He argued, but I didn't back down, and eventually he saw sense and left." His expression softened into a smile. "Don't worry, Bells. I've got your back. He can't get past me. Having him arrested proved your point. I doubt Dr, Fang was too pleased at having to bail him out."

Bella felt her heart quicken and her stomach clench with nerves. This was the perfect opportunity to tell him that Edward had practically tailgated her all the way to Angela's. Being arrested hadn't put him off, but maybe Jacob's warning had. She didn't want to create a fuss. All she wanted was to rest in Jacob's comforting embrace. She sought solace in his arms again, murmuring her thanks.

* * *

The night passed quickly after that. Jacob stayed with her until the small hours before he reluctantly took his leave and joined his brothers on patrol. Bella spent the rest of the night tossing and turning in her bed after he had gone, terrorised by haunting nightmares of her time in Volterra. She woke in the morning with a scream dying on her lips and her body covered in a cold sweat. She threw back the covers on her bed, slipping out of her room and into the bathroom.

Bella stepped into the tower, toes flinching as they touched the chilled ceramic floor. Her mind was in shreds; she would never get the picture of the screaming tourists out of her head. She turned the dial, old and metallic, releasing thousands of lukewarm drops, darkening her hair and trickling down her back. Her eyes fell closed as the water coated her eyelashes, behind her closed lids the nightmare unfurled again, each time showing the images of the innocents slaughtered in Volterra like a series of photographs.

A sharp rap on the bathroom door had her gasping with terror. "Are you alright in there, Bells?" Charlie asked from the other side of the door.

Bella held her hand over her racing heart and tried to regain her composure. "I'm fine, Dad." She called out breathlessly.

"Are you sure?" Charlie wasn't convinced.

"I told you I'm fine." Bella repeated through gritted teeth.

"Okay." Charlie said, giving in. "I'm off to work now. Will you be alright driving yourself to school?"

"Yes." Bella blinked furiously as the water continued to rain down on her. It dripped down her side, causing her mind to fade into dullness as she listened to her father's heavy tread on the stairs. Moments later she heard the front door bang as he left.

Bella tried to relax and let the sensation of the steamy water calm her, to take her mind off things. Her mind swirled, and she felt like she was standing under an everlasting waterfall. Ever so beautiful, but her fragile peace couldn't last, she knew that. All good things come to end. As the water gradually turned colder, she was forced to turn off the shower and reach for a towel. Time was getting on and she hadn't even had breakfast yet.

Wrapped in a warm, fluffy towel, Bella left the bathroom and headed straight for her room. She was running really late, there wasn't even time to dry her hair. A quick comb through, before pinning it up into a messy bun, would have to suffice.

Bella walked into her room, not expecting to find Edward standing across from her, in the shadow beside the open window. His face was hard and his posture tense. He glared over at her wordlessly. Bella cringed away from him, thinking this was like a scene from a horror movie, except she was the desperate victim dressed only in a towel. She backed away from him, but Edward continued to glare, possibly too angry to speak.

"You need to leave." She finally said, hating that her voice didn't sound confident enough. "Get out!" She tried again, firmer this time.

Edward's face could have been carved from stone. Bella counted to a hundred in her head. She felt utterly exposed as his frigid gaze travelled over her body.

"Why are you still here?" She demanded, her anger rising to match his. "I'll call Charlie. He'll come and arrest you again. You won't get off so easy this time."

A growl rumbled low in his chest, but his expression didn't change.

"I'll count to three. If you're not gone by then I'm calling Charlie." Bella reached out toward her bedside cabinet and fumbled for her phone.

Finally, Edward moved. His hand snatched her cell before she had a chance to retrieve it. Then his eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between the fingers of his right hand.

"Bella." He whispered. "You keep forcing me to cross the line. I almost broke the treaty to come after you when you went to La Push to see _him_, and then after hours of waiting I was forced to follow you home only for you to hide at Angela's house because you were too cowardly to face me."

Bella gasped and his eyes opened. They were as cold and hard as night. "You can't break the treaty!" She tried to modulate her voice, to hide her fear. "Edward, you would start a fight that you would have no hope of winning. Any truce between your family and the wolves would be broken."

Edward scowled. "Maybe I want a fight!" He threatened. "Maybe it will prove to you once and for all how dangerous those dogs are!"

"Don't you dare." Bella snapped. "You made the treaty-you stick to it."

"If he'd hurt you- "

"Enough!" Bella cut him off. "Jacob is not dangerous. The only dangerous one is you!"

"Bella." He said through gritted teeth. "You aren't exactly the best judge of what is or isn't dangerous."

"Oh, I am. My time in Italy well and truly opened my eyes, believe me!"

Edward ground his teeth together. His hands were balled up in fists by his sides. He was still standing against the wall, his eyes glinting dangerously.

Bella took a deep breath and reached for her dressing gown. She was desperate to cover up. She turned her back on him, slipping her arms through the sleeves, before hastily tying the sash around her slim waist. She took another deep breath to compose herself as she turned around and faced him again. She got the shock of her life when she found that he'd moved. His cold hands caught her face, forcing her to look into his defensive eyes. She hadn't noticed in the stress of the moment, but they were too dark. The rings under them were deep purple.

"You haven't been hunting." She whispered.

"I haven't had the chance. I've been too busy trying to keep you safe. Werewolves constitute a risk. You will not be seeing Jacob Black again."

"I'll see him whenever I want." Bella wrenched her head out of his hands and stepped back from him.

"I'm not negotiating this, Bella."

"Go to hell, Edward! And get the hell out of my LIFE!" Bella screamed the last word right in his face.

Edward's eyes blazed as his hands balled into fists. "Yes, your life!" He snapped. "The life you once wanted to throw away to spend an eternity with me."

Bella frowned suspiciously. "That was then. This is now."

"Yes, this is now." Edward's eyes darkened until they were coal black. "Maybe I was wrong in denying you what you wanted. It nearly got us both killed." He murmured. "Maybe its time to give you what you want."

The black fire in his eyes was impossible to doubt. Bella trembled, understanding the full meaning of his words. She stepped away from him as fast as she could, but he was faster. In the time it took to draw breath, she was suddenly lying flat on her back on her bed, her arms raised above her head as Edward bound her wrists together with one hand, while the other caressed an icy trail down the side of her face, until his fingers reached the soft skin of her collarbone.

"Edward, you don't want to do this!" Bella pleaded.

Edward stared at her silently through narrowed eyes. "Maybe I do." He said, then he smiled crookedly, so Bella knew the fight was over. She closed her eyes and began to cry.

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	13. Chapter 13

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Thirteen**

Jacob sat on the same driftwood log he'd shared with Bella only days ago as Sam talked. "Are you going to tell her about your plan?"

"She's not ready. She's still processing the imprint thing." Jacob replied as he stared out at the ocean.

"It's a good plan, Jake." Sam said, coming to sit next to Jacob. "It opens pathways for all of us. Just because we can't leave, it doesn't mean we're stuck."

"It gives us options you mean?" Jacob looked at Uley. Sam had been planning to leave the reservation with Leah and attend college. He'd actually won a scholarship. Becoming a werewolf had ended that dream along with his relationship with Leah. The tribe needed them, which meant there was no chance of walking away. The whole Olympic peninsula needed them, it seemed like, with all the vampires showing up lately.

"Yes, it gives us options." Sam agreed. His brow furrowed and he looked far out at the horizon. "Does Bella really know what the imprint means, Jacob?"

Confused by the question, Jacob waited pensively for Sam to continue.

"You need to make sure she understands. Bella has to know that you are bound to this place, this land, and if she is bound to you, then this will always be her home. Can she always be happy here?" He lowered his head and took a deep breath. "I don't want you to go through what I suffered, Jacob." He admitted honestly. "Living on the reservation. It isn't romantic. It isn't easy. Bella has lived other places; not all of them as isolated as we are here. What if she can't settle here? When I was with Lee, she was always so desperate to get away and explore the world…" He sighed heavily as his head bowed with guilt. "I miss the dreams we shared together." He ended wistfully.

"But Emily….?" Jacob left the rest of his sentence unfinished.

Sam took a deep breath and pursed his lips. "Emily grew up on the Makah res. She knows about reservation life. With Bella it's different. She needs to know that if she commits to you, then she commits to this place. And will need to think about what that means to your children and grandchildren."

Jacob winced and avoided Sam's eyes. He knew that Uley wasn't just talking about living on the reservation. He meant the pack. None of them wanted this life for themselves. They certainly didn't want it for anyone else. Emily had paid a high price for loving a werewolf. Jacob had never thought about what it would mean for any children he might have. He hadn't really thought about kids. He wasn't even seventeen yet for goodness sake!

He remembered how close he had come to hurting Billy the night he first changed. How Sam had tragically hurt Emily. What if the children he had phased? What kind of danger would that place Bella in? He thought of Emily's scars and the guilt that Sam carried around his neck like a yoke.

"I don't want to bring you down, Jacob. But you have to consider these things." Sam's tone held a hint of melancholy. "The werewolf thing didn't go so well for Emily."

Jacob nodded as he looked back out to sea. All about them was the perfume of the salty water and the fine spray that came as came as boldly as any viola flurry. As he watched the movement of the water it was as if life itself had entered the grey ocean and the energy was so great that this great pulse came upward to form a steady rhythm. It was in that moment that Jacob realised that the hardest part was already over. Bella knew he was a werewolf. She had accepted this part of him as she so easily accepted everything else. She'd seen his monster and still wanted to be around him anyway. She'd been in La Push day after day. It wouldn't matter. Not to her.

Coming to his conclusion made him smile in relief. But that smile was soon ripped away when he felt an unexpected surge of fear course through his veins. The feeling sent a violent jolt to his heart. He became rigid, his gaze turning inward as he tried to focus on Bella. She was upset, no, more than that, she was terrified.

_Something was wrong! _

Jacob was transforming into his wolf before Sam had a chance to question what he was doing. All he could do was follow.

* * *

Bella felt the tears wet her cheeks. She couldn't stop crying.

"Please, don't cry, Bella." Edward murmured so softly that Bella struggled to hear him. His cold fingers brushed her cheek as he followed the tracks of her tears.

She tensed, waiting for his fury, but it didn't come as she expected. Instead her tears seemed to have dampened the flame of his ire, and his resolution seemed to waver. He let go of her wrists and his arms encircled her instead, cradling her to his stone chest. His lips searched, hunting along her throat, inhaling her evocative scent, until he found her lips.

Edward kissed her softly for a moment, and then chuckled. "This is what I missed. You, in my arms, loving me."

Bella didn't respond as he continued to ramble on, deciding it was best to remain passive in his arms to buy some time.

"You know I'll love you forever." He whispered against her lips. His fingers knotted in her hair.

Bella's breath caught in her throat as his cold lips danced across her cheek. He reached her jaw and pressed his lips there. One of his hands curved around her elbow, moving slowly down her arm, across her ribs and over her waist, tracing along her hip and down her leg, around her knee. Edward paused there, his hand curling around her calf. Then he pulled her leg up suddenly, hitching it around his hip.

Bella could no longer remain passive. She pushed on his chest, but her hands made no impression at all. She stopped breathing, feeling trapped. This wasn't the kind of thing that Edward usually allowed. Despite his cold hands a shot of warmth flooded through Bella as his lips moved in the hollow at the base of her throat.

The warmth increased the longer his icy lips lingered on her skin, growing stronger, intensifying with every second that passed. Something was happening, she could feel it. The helpless feeling began to dissolve as an unexpected burst of energy lit up her veins like they were on fire. She felt like the sun, glowing, burning with an inner flame that wouldn't be quashed by the cold prince trying to seduce her.

Bella's breathing got louder. Edward pulled her face back to his, kissing her again, slowly tracing his tongue along her bottom lip. He hovered over her, holding himself carefully above her, but she could still feel the cool marble of his body pressed against hers. Her heart was hammering so loudly, the sudden burst of heat and adrenaline making it race.

Then she heard his voice-Jacob-he was speaking in her head. She could hear him as clearly as if he was in the room with her. But he wasn't in the room. If he was, Edward would have been toast by now.

Bella looked inward, trying to focus on his beloved voice. She didn't care if she was hallucinating. If she had even the slightest chance of getting out of this dangerous situation alive, she would take what she could get.

"_Bells, can you hear me?"_ The Jacob voice said in her head.

Bella nodded in response, then realised how stupid that was. He couldn't see that.

"_How do you know what he can or can't see?" _Her inner voice chided her.

"_Bells?" _

"_Jake!"_ Bella was screaming his name in her head.

"_Calm down, honey. I'm coming." _

Bella's heart was pounding painfully in her chest now. The heat burning through her veins was almost unbearable.

"_I can't fight him off."_ She cried in her mind. _"I'm too weak."_

Edward's icy cold tongue was still lightly tracing the shape of her lips.

"_You're a wolf girl, Bella!"_ Jacob was growling now. "_You are not weak! Say it!" _He demanded.

"_I'm a wolf girl."_ Bella echoed him weakly. _"I'm not weak."_

"_Louder!" He roared._

"_I'm a wolf girl. I'm not weak." _

"_Again!" _

"_I'm a wolf girl. I'm not weak." _

"_Again!" _

"_I'M A WOLF GIRL. I'M NOT WEAK!" _

Bella didn't realise she had yelled the words aloud. The unbearable heat that had been swirling around her body suddenly burst forth like a solar flare from the sun. With the borrowed strength of Jacob's wolf merging with her through the imprint, Bella pushed hard on Edward's chest, flinging him across the room as if he weighed no more than a feather. His body crashed into her mirrored wardrobe, the impact splintering the wood and shattering the mirror into a thousand pieces.

Sharp shards of glass flew through the air like daggers, forcing Bella to roll off the bed and onto her feet. Her heart was accelerating dangerously, the overwhelming heat leaving her body as quickly as it had come. With her last reserves of borrowed energy, she pressed her back against the cool plaster of the wall, before darkness stole her light. Bella slumped into unconsciousness just as Jacob and Sam reached the house.

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Fourteen**

Jacob could feel the rage boiling up inside him; if Edward had hurt one hair on her head, he was going to kill him this time. There was no way he was letting this go, not again. He needed to back the fuck away from Bella because this was beyond crazy.

Sam could sense that Jacob's anger was blinding him to the seriousness of the situation. He needed to regain control and focus, for Bella's sake, if not for his own. Sam hated doing it, but he issued an Alpha command on Jacob, forcing him to calm down and concentrate. He could feel Jacob straining to try and resist the order, but Sam continued to exert his power over him until Jacob bent to his will.

"Think of Bella." He stated calmly. "She's been through enough without seeing you attack Edward Cullen in a blind rage."

Jacob knew deep down that Sam was right, but it still didn't stop him resenting his Alpha. "I need to get up there."

"We'll go together. But first we call the cops." Sam phased back before Jacob had a chance to question his decision.

* * *

Bella woke up from her stupor to find Edward leaning over her. His face softened as soon as he saw her eyes open. He sighed and brushed his hand across her face lightly, wiping her stray tears away. "I don't understand what happened there." He murmured thoughtfully. "You can't keep doing things like that. What's the matter with you? I told you I love you and I won't hurt you again, but you won't forgive me. How many times do I need to say sorry?" He asked softly, bending his head and kissing her cheek gently. Bile rose in her throat at the feel of his lips against her skin.

"You need to leave." Bella whispered hoarsely. She knew she couldn't mention Jacob. Edward seemed to just snap at the mention of his name so she couldn't risk him going crazy again. She hoped Jacob would be there soon. His voice had vanished from her head, no matter how many times she screamed his name in her mind he didn't answer.

Edward's hand traced the side of her leg as he pressed his body harder against hers. His nose ran up the side of her jaw, inhaling deeply. "You smell so good. I've missed your smell."

Bella grimaced as she turned her head away from him. Her breathing escalated but Edward took this for a sign of desire rather than fear. He shook his head and kissed the side of her neck. "I need to use the bathroom." She said weakly.

"Ah, just another human foible you won't have to worry about anymore." Edward laughed indulgently as he gripped her hand and helped her to rise. "And don't worry about the wardrobe or any of your things. I can give you better and more."

Bella closed her eyes and let him lead her to the bathroom. Once inside she shut the door, flicking the lock. Not that a puny lock would keep him out if he really wanted to get in. But at least it would give her an extra few seconds as she tried to escape. She went straight to the bathroom window and yanked on the handle. To her relief it wasn't locked. She pushed on it and tried to lever herself up to the sill. It was difficult. The window was small, she wondered if she was going to even fit.

Edward was talking on the other side of the door, seeming to be oblivious to her desperate attempts to get away from him. "You know you really need to cancel the restraining order, Bella. Then there would be nothing in our way and we could move on."

_Does he really think its just the restraining order in our way?_ Bella thought as she tried to wedge herself through the tight gap_. Wow, just wow! He was deluded, crazy!_

Bella gulped and floundered when she struggled to get through the small gap. What was she supposed to do to turn this situation around? What do you say when you didn't want to upset a sociopath? "You can't keep doing this, Edward."

He almost growled in response to that statement and Bella realised she had screwed up again. "Are you nearly finished in there?" He demanded.

"Nearly." Bella gave up on trying to squeeze her body through the window. It was just too small. Despair washed over her as she tried to figure out what to do next. Why couldn't she hear Jacob in her head like she had before? Where was he? Was he no longer phased? Is that why she couldn't communicate with him? She needed to borrow his wolf strength again. It was unbelievable that Edward wasn't questioning her sudden rush of adrenaline which had allowed her to throw him off, but he seemed to have brushed it aside as if it meant nothing. He really was deluded.

Edward rapped on the door again sharply with his knuckles. "Bella?" He called; the handle went down as he tried to open it.

Bella knew she couldn't delay any longer. He would only break the lock and come in anyway. Her fingers trembled as she got ready to flip the lock open, when suddenly she heard Edward mutter an oath on the other side of the door. Seconds later this was followed by the sound of voices…one was instantly recognisable as Sam Uley's and the other…

"Jake!" She cried.

_He was here! She was safe! _

Bella sagged against the door, crying tears of relief.

* * *

Bella sat curled up on the sofa, pressed into Jacob's side. She was shaking, but not with cold. They had just returned from the police station where she'd had to make a formal statement about Edward. She had stuck as close to the truth as possible, but there was still a lot she had to leave out. She couldn't shake the memory of his lips and hands on her body. She wanted to scrub her skin clean to wash away any lasting traces of him.

Jacob's arms tightened around her when he felt her shiver. "It's alright now." He whispered soothingly.

Jacob and Sam had restrained Edward until the police arrived ten minutes after they did. It was only then he was grateful for Sam's Alpha order. If Uley hadn't had the foresight to issue it, Jacob knew he would have killed the bloodsucker with his bare hands. Edward Cullen was formally arrested, again. Not by Charlie-he was too closely involved-but by one of his colleagues.

Right now, the police chief was pacing up and down the front room, his jaw and eyes tight with tension as they all waited for news. It seemed an age before the phone rang and he hastened to answer it. Five minutes later there was the sound of the phone being ripped out of its socket and smashing against the wall as Charlie lost control. Bella jumped in alarm, while Jacob and Sam exchanged a dubious glance. By the police chief's reaction, the news wasn't good. So much for relying on the law for protection!

Charlie came storming back into the room a few moments later, more in control now, but the frustration clear on his face. "They've let the little shit out on bail." He practically growled.

"Why would they do that?" Jacob demanded, getting angry again. He heard Bella emit a quiet sob and forced himself to calm down and focus his attention on her. Her welfare was all that mattered now.

"Because he didn't actually hurt or threaten Bella, the case won't be dealt with quickly. They've let him out on bail until he goes to court in about a month's time." Charlie continued brusquely.

"And what will happen to him when he does." It was Sam who spoke this time. His face was calm but there was an underlying edge to his tone which showed differently.

Charlie swallowed thickly and looked at Bella bleakly. She looked back at him with tears in her eyes. "The most likely punishment he will get is a fine, or the most would be community service."

"That's bullshit!" Jacob cussed. "He broke in here and… "

"Jake!" Sam said warningly before he let his tongue run away with him in front of Charlie.

"I'm not happy about this, either." Charlie snapped.

Jacob fell silent but his dark eyes sparked with fury. He knew going to the police was futile, but he had least hoped that Cullen would get a harsher punishment than that. He raged silently as he tried to keep his true feelings away from Bella. Edward was a loose cannon. Jacob understood what Sam was trying to do when he called the police. Any more bad press against Edward Cullen would give the pack more leverage to force the coven to leave Forks. The bloodsucker had not only broken the law but the treaty, too. This was serious. There was no way that Carlisle Cullen could defend his son this time.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! **_


	15. Chapter 15

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Fifteen**

"I want to come with you when you meet with Carlisle." Bella insisted.

Jacob shook his head as his frustration began to build up again. They'd already had this argument, but Bella was stubbornly refusing to let it go. "It's not safe."

"That's ridiculous! You're going to be there and so is Sam. I'll be well protected." Bella argued. "I need to have my say, Jacob. I need to know why Carlisle is shielding Edward after everything he has done."

"We know why!" Jacob answered irritably. "Cullen is like a son to him. He probably doesn't want to accept the truth about him. You've seen how much he's indulged him in the past. I mean he uprooted the whole coven for his benefit when he left you for dead in the woods. He didn't care then, Bells. He certainly doesn't care now."

His harsh words were like a kick to the stomach. Bella gasped, turning away from him to hide how much he had hurt her. But Jacob knew. He was already wishing he could take it back. He was just so full of anger. Charlie had put in a formal complaint about how lightly Edward Cullen had got off the charges. He was pissed off that he had been granted bail so quickly, especially considering this was his second breach of the restraining order. In response to his complaint Bella had been hauled back to the station for almost three hours; they made her wait for two hours before there was anyone to talk to her. This enraged the police chief further as well as Jacob. By the time she was interviewed she had to run through everything again and again. The whole time Jacob's anger was building in waves. They were treating her like she was the suspect instead of the victim. His hand was a tight fist on his leg as he tried to keep his anger under control. Bella didn't need him kicking off, neither did Charlie. If he saw Edward Cullen in that moment, he was pretty sure he would kill him.

"I'm sorry, Bells." Jacob apologised after a moment. "I just don't want you to suffer any more than you already have. I'm worried that the bloodsucker will be there. I'm worried that he might try and get to you…. I don't think I'll be able to restrain myself."

Bella wiped away a stray tear and smiled at him in understanding. She wasn't immune to the fact that this whole episode had affected him as deeply as it had her. He was feeling what she was feeling, everything was enhanced by the imprint bond. He shared her sadness, her fears, all her lows and highs. She didn't want to pressure him when he was already stressed enough, but she needed to do this. She was sick of feeling so helpless. She wanted to take back control. Confronting Carlisle would help her to achieve that.

"I don't want to make things difficult for you, Jake. But I'm tired of being the victim. I need to do this. Please, I need your support." She pleaded.

Jacob couldn't resist her. Despite all his misgivings he felt himself wavering. "Sam would never agree."

"He will. Emily's working on him right now." Bella confessed.

"Bells!" Jacob shook his head in disbelief. "I never thought you could be so devious."

"Yes, you did." She replied as his face slowly relaxed into a smile.

* * *

Bella hadn't seen Carlisle properly since the night at the airport. She was shocked by the changes in him. He still looked handsomer than any movie star she had ever seen, but his skin seemed whiter than ever, he was tired looking, with circles under his eyes. Despite this he was dressed as impeccably as always, wearing a pair of loose tan pants, teamed with a pale blue shirt rolled up at the sleeves. He greeted her with a warm smile.

"It's lovely to see you, Bella. Its been too long." He held out his hand toward her, but she refused to take it. This seemed to confuse him, but he recovered quickly as he turned his attention to Jacob and Sam, greeting them in the same friendly manner. "Thank you for coming. Would you like to take a seat?"

"This isn't a social call." Sam said shortly. "And we'd prefer to stand."

"Of course." Carlisle murmured.

Bella looked around the huge white living room. She shivered, remembering the party they had thrown for her eighteenth. It had been held in this very room. It was just another painful memory in a long list of bad ones. She cast a glance toward Edward's grand piano, standing in pride of place in the centre of the room, the lid was open revealing the keys. That was odd. It made it seem as if someone had been interrupted by their unexpected arrival and left the room abruptly. Was Edward somewhere nearby? And where was the rest of the family? Why was Carlisle the only one to greet them?

Sam's voice faded in and out as he spoke to Carlisle, outlining in no uncertain terms why they were here. She barely heard Carlisle's response to Uley's accusations as she was too focused on trying to unravel the mystery as to why the others were not present. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Jacob tense. She had to admire his self-control. She had expected him to kick off as soon as they stepped through the door, but he had shown remarkable restraint. His tension communicated itself to Bella, and he turned, sensing that she was watching him. His lips drew up in an encouraging smile before settling back into his familiar stern expression. Of course, he was trying to remain calm for her sake. Bella felt a rush of tenderness wash over her, and she found herself drifting to his side and taking his hand. His warm fingers wrapped around hers, something that Carlisle was quick to notice.

"Bella, may I have a private talk with you?" He asked politely.

"Hell no!" Jacob answered before she had a chance to.

"Jake." Sam gave him a warning look which caused Jacob to scowl.

Bella squeezed his fingers before sucking in a deep breath to steady her nerves. "Where are the others?" She said in response to his question.

"Others?" Carlisle looked slightly uncomfortable. "Oh, I just thought it would make you feel more at ease if it was just me."

Bella gave him a basilisk like stare. He was lying. "You haven't told them about Edward." She guessed in disbelief. "Esme…Rosalie…they don't know what he's done."

Sam and Jacob exchanged a stunned glance. "Is this true?" Sam demanded harshly. "Have you kept the truth from the rest of the coven?"

"It would only upset them." Carlisle hastened to add. "And…"

"And you know how angry they would be if they knew that Edward had assaulted me!" Bella raged. "Especially Rosalie. Esme would be disgusted, too. I bet even Jasper and Emmet would tear him a new one if they knew. Why are you defending him?"

Carlisle's expression turned pained. "Bella, please, I understand you are upset with Edward, but I would urge you to moderate your language. He has been trying to atone for his mistakes. I know he would never hurt you. He worships the ground you walk on. And you know that. And I have been trying to shield my family from the worst of it. You need to know that your actions have not only deeply hurt Edward, but all of those who love you, including me. You are part of our family, Bella. You know how dangerous it is for us to receive negative attention like this. I can't believe you would let if go this far. You had to know I would defend Edward vigorously against these…. exaggerated claims of yours."

Jacob lost control then. His anger matched Bella's. They were like twin suns, burning with righteous indignation, angered that Carlisle refused to take the blinders off regarding his favourite's sickening behaviour. Before Sam could intervene, Jacob had Carlisle hauled up against the wall; his eyes narrowed with hate.

"That twisted bastard broke into the house-Bella was assaulted, and groped. He touched her against her will, repeatedly, while she was telling him to stop. How you stand there and defend him just goes to show that you are either a delusional piece of shit or have no moral compass at all when it comes to golden boy."

For good measure, Jacob slammed Carlisle against the wall a couple of times-fully knowing that the only damage was to the plaster-but it gave him a small sense of satisfaction that he'd got his point across. As he passed Sam, he expected his Alpha to give him a reproving look, but was relieved to find the exact opposite.

"Edward Cullen has not only broken the law but the treaty as well. You know the consequences. You leave now or you force us to make you. I don't think either of us wants a fight." Sam stated coolly. "There is no negotiation over this."

Carlisle rubbed his jaw with his fingers, his brow was furrowed in contemplation. Sam's words had given him no room to manoeuvre. His golden-brown eyes flicked to Bella, his expression turning grave. "I have read the statement you gave to the police, Bella. I am well aware of what you are accusing Edward of. Again, I reiterate, there are two sides to every story. And I believe my son. I feel sorry for you. I really do. You have become so tangled up in your web of lies that I think you have almost come to believe them."

Bella gasped in dismay at his words. Jacob went on the attack again, but this time Sam was quicker to intervene. "This is not the way." He warned Jacob before turning his cold stare onto Carlisle. "You have forty-eight hours to pack up your life and get out of here." His face and voice were as cold as the vamp doctor's icy skin.

"I cannot and will not abide by your terms." Carlisle replied as he levelled his gaze with Sam's. "With Victoria still hunting I cannot in good conscience leave the battle in your untrained hands. Despite the animosity that exists between us right now, I will continue to do the honourable thing and stay until she is vanquished." His eyes left Sam's and travelled to Bella's. "I sincerely hope you will come to see that all of Edward's actions have been borne out of deep love and adoration for you. You know deep down he never broke the law or the treaty." He sighed heavily. "However, I will make sure that he keeps his distance until the ill will you seem to have toward him is resolved. As Alexander Pope once said-to err is human, to forgive divine. I forgive you and he will, too."

Bella felt sick. She actually threw up in her mouth a little at Carlisle's words. Jacob's arms wrapped around her, holding her together like he always did. She could feel the fine tremors in his body as he fought not to phase and rip the vamp doctor's head off. Carlisle had essentially accused her of being a liar, inferring that she was making things up because she was pissed at Edward, and accusing him of all these things to exact some kind of cruel punishment. She wished in that moment that she had never got in the car with Alice and flown to Italy to save him. She should have let him rot in his own personal hell. And that is exactly what she said to Carlisle. "I should have left him to die!" She spat angrily.

Carlisle faltered at her harsh comment, his eyes darkened and he looked pained. "I think you should leave now." He murmured.

"You will be the ones leaving." Sam reminded him again sternly. "You have two days, Dr, Cullen. Two days."

_**A/N-thanks for reading! **_


	16. Chapter 16

**Snap Decision**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

_**A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!**_

**Chapter Sixteen **

Jacob revved the engine of the noisy black motorcycle. Bella jumped on the back seat, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Even though she had promised Charlie she wouldn't ride the bikes again, she just needed the adrenaline rush. When she asked Jacob whether they could ride the bikes, she had expected him to protest. But he seemed to understand her need to do something a little daring to clear her head.

They raced off the blacktop so fast that Bella's stomach got lost somewhere behind her.

"Hold on." Jacob shouted into the wind.

Bella hid her face in his back as they sped down the highway. She knew he would slowdown when they hit the Quileute border. She just needed to hold on until then. She prayed silently in her head that Charlie wouldn't happen to see them….

It was obvious when they reached the safe zone. The bike slowed, and Jacob straightened up and grinned. Bella opened her eyes, trying to catch her breath.

"That was a rush!" Jacob laughed. "I've missed riding the bikes."

"Me, too." Bella shook out her windblown hair as she tried to comb through the tangles with her fingers.

"It was lucky Charlie didn't see us, though." Jacob's tone was rough with guilt.

"I'm completely safe riding with you."

"Yeah, but he doesn't know that." Jacob sighed.

Bella shared his guilt. She knew Charlie considered the bikes death machines-he had seen too many reckless teens lose their lives riding them-but it still should be her choice whether she rode them or not. She was tired of being dictated to about what she could or couldn't do all the time.

"Want to ride some more?" Jacob asked.

"I should be going to school." Bella winced. Not only was she riding the bikes again after promising Charlie she wouldn't, but she had just skipped school. She was literally breaking all the rules.

"It's probably for the best that you avoid school for the next couple of days. Just until Carlisle makes his next move." Jacob put his hand on her face, caressing his thumb across her cold cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Not really." Bella admitted tiredly, leaning into his palm. "Carlisle is not going to back down, is he?"

"I don't think so." Jacob said honestly. "Sam kinda knew that when he ordered him to go."

"I don't want a war to start because of me." Bella felt the walls closing in on her again. Fuck Edward and his obsession with her! He was ruining her life, and Carlisle was enabling him. If only she could get in touch with one of the others-Rosalie and Esme wouldn't stand for Carlisle protecting Edward-not if they knew the truth.

"I don't see how it can be avoided." Jacob looked into the distance, his body tense with frustration. He turned back to look at Bella and his expression softened. "I'm sorry, honey. You shouldn't have to deal with this."

"I'll be alright." Bella managed to muster up a smile. "I've got my best friend looking out for me."

"Yeah." Jacob murmured. A different kind of frustration built up inside him at the word _friend_. He didn't just want to be her friend, he wanted so much more. But Bella still wasn't ready to cross that line. He was just going to have to be patient and wait. She would see how good they were together eventually, wouldn't she?

* * *

They ended up on the beach again, wandering aimlessly. Both of their minds were far away as they strolled along the shore deep in thought.

"I don't know what to do about school." Bella was the first to break the silence. "I feel vulnerable there."

It was the first time she had openly admitted her fears about the place. High school was tainted now. Even though she was surrounded by people, she was afraid that Edward would be able to snatch her away at any moment. She assumed that Carlisle would pull the other members of the family out, he wouldn't want then to cross paths with her and find out what he was hiding.

"I've been thinking about that." Jacob replied slowly. "I have an idea."

Bella looked up at him curiously. She watched as he picked up a rock and chucked it into the waves. When he didn't respond right away, she got impatient. "Don't keep me in suspense."

"I'm not gonna tell you until I know it's a possibility." Jacob was acting all mysterious. He grinned when he saw how aggravated Bella was at being kept in the dark. Her pale cheeks were flushed with annoyance, her perfect mouth pursed into a pout. She was so lovely she took his breath away every time he looked at her.

"You are so irritating." She snapped at him.

"True." Jacob agreed amiably. "But you love me anyway."

Bella rolled her eyes at this statement, but she couldn't help but smile. She felt his warm fingers wrap around hers as they continued their journey down the beach. As they walked Bella thought of how they must look walking hand in hand across the sand-like a couple, certainly-and she wondered whether she should object. But this was the way it had always been with Jacob…no reason to get worked up about it now. She might not be ready to take things further, but it didn't mean she wasn't thinking about it. She glanced up at him again to find he was still smiling down at her. She smiled back. Jacob understood. He would wait until she was ready. Bella leaned into his warm body and felt herself relax.

* * *

"You skipped school." Charlie said bluntly as soon as Jacob dropped her home, in the VW Rabbit this time.

"Hello to you, too, Dad." Bella muttered irritably, shrugging off her jacket. She hung it on the hook and walked past him into the kitchen.

"Bella, you can't just skip school when you feel like it. This is an important year." Charlie called after her.

Bella counted to ten under her breath. "I couldn't face going in, okay. Not with everything that's happened."

"I had a word with Principal Greene today. He assured me personally that he takes matters like this very seriously. John told me that he would make sure that Edward Cullen is removed from his school. You don't have to worry about going back, Bells." Charlie assure her, his tone softening.

Bella nodded, giving him a strained smile. It didn't matter what Principal Greene did or didn't do. Carlisle would have forbidden Edward to go back anyway. He would want to avoid as much trouble as possible. He would have pulled the others out, too. She wondered what bullshit reason he would give them. Whatever it was they would believe him, like always. Carlisle Cullen wasn't the honourable man she thought he was. His treatment of her had soured her opinion of him. To openly accuse of her lying, it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Oh, a letter came for you today." Charlie casually passed her a non-descript brown manilla envelope.

Bella frowned, wondering who it was from. Maybe Renee had sent her something, although she hadn't mentioned it in their last email exchange. "I'm just going to lie down for a while, Dad."

"Okay." Charlie gave her a fond smile. "Don't worry about cooking tonight. I'll get us some takeout. Order anything you want." He offered.

"Pizza?" Bella asked. "With extra pineapple?"

Charlie grimaced at the mention of pineapple. He could never understand why anyone would want that on their pizza. "How about extra anchovies instead?"

"I'd prefer pineapple." Bella laughed at his disgruntled expression.

"Fine." Charlie conceded ungraciously. "Just this once."

"Thanks, Dad." Bella stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, before escaping to her room.

* * *

Even her room didn't feel like hers anymore. She stared at the spot where her wardrobe used to be. It was now just one big empty space. There was no way she could tell Charlie the truth about how it really had been damaged. Another one had been ordered and was on its way, but just like school, her bedroom felt tainted now. Edward had invaded every safe area of her life and it angered her that he had such control over her thoughts and feelings. Even when he wasn't physically present, he was still impacting on her life, forcing her to take extra care of where she went and what she did. She blamed him for everything, even the situation with Victoria.

As she fumed silently, Bella remembered the brown manilla envelope Charlie had given her. She opened it up to find an acceptance letter from the University of Alaska. She felt sick inside. She hadn't even applied. This was Edward's doing. In anger she shoved the letter back into the envelope and scrawled return to sender across it.

"Fuck you, Edward Mason Cullen!" She cussed under her breath.

Running back down the stairs with the envelope in hand, she reached the bottom step to find two more thick envelopes sitting on the floor. They looked like they had just been slipped under the door. In the background she could hear Charlie on his cell ordering the pizza.

Feeling sick to her stomach, Bella reached down and warily picked up the envelopes. Of course, both were addressed to her. She put the acceptance letter from the University of Alaska down on the little side table in the hallway, before gingerly opening the others. She wasn't surprised to find an acceptance letter from both Dartmouth and Harvard.

"Bastard!" Bella wanted to scream and cry all at the same time.

"Pizza should be here in half an hour." Charlie strode into the hallway, not aware that he was walking into the eye of a storm. He saw the despairing look on his daughter's face and frowned. "What's happened?"

"Edward fucking Cullen is what's happened." Bella raged as she thrust the acceptance letters into Charlie's hands. "I never applied to any of them." She tossed the envelope containing the letter from the University of Alaska on top of the others. "He must have forged my signature. Or bribed them to accept me. He's never gonna stop, Dad! He won't ever stop!"

Charlie looked at the crumpled letters in his hands and felt his anger rising to match his daughter's. Enough was enough! He had tried doing everything by the book, but it had gotten him nowhere. The one thing he trusted in life, the law, had let him down. He was not going to let his daughter suffer any longer. He was going to put a stop to it here and now.

"Dad…Dad…where are you going?" Bella asked in alarm when she saw Charlie, his face puce with anger, grab his jacket.

"I'm going to sort this out once and for all. If he's not going to play by the rules, then neither am I." Charlie threatened.

"Dad, please, I don't want you to do anything you'll regret." Bella begged, grabbing him by the arm as she tried to stop him from leaving.

"Let go, Bells. I promised I'd keep you safe. And that's what I intend to do." Charlie said fiercely.

"You're not." Bella was getting hysterical now. "Can't you see that you'll only make it worse. If you go over there with all guns blazing, then Carlisle and Edward will turn it all around on you. I guarantee you'll be the one behind bars, Dad. Not him! Hand the letters in. It gives us more evidence against Edward, doesn't it? It'll strengthen our case against him if its proved he forged my signature or bribed someone to get me in. Please, think rationally! I beg you."

Bella's words finally pierced the red mist of Charlie's anger. He hugged her fiercely, his chin resting on top of her head. "I just want you to feel safe, kiddo. It's my job to protect you."

"And you do by supporting me." Bella's voice was muffled against his chest.

Charlie blinked a few times as he tried to compose himself. "I love you, Bells." He said gruffly.

"I love you, too." Bella said, closing her eyes in relief that another disaster had been averted.

The phone rang then, separating them. While Charlie took off his jacket, Bella went to answer it. "Hello."

"Bells, are you alright?" Jacob sounded breathless.

"I'm okay." Bella was glad to hear his voice. "How do you always know when I need you?"

"The imprint." Jacob replied quietly.

"Oh." Bella said.

"I can feel when you're upset or distressed. I was just about to phase and come over until Billy stopped me. He said that Charlie wouldn't appreciate a massive wolf rocking up on his doorstep and perhaps I should ring you first."

"Billy gives good advice." Bella laughed humourlessly.

"Seriously, honey, are you really okay?" Jacob checked again.

"I am. I promise."

"I'm glad."

Bella could imagine Jacob's smile of relief on the other end of the phone. "I'm sorry to have stressed you out."

"I don't mind." Jacob teased. "I was going to call anyway. I have some good news."

"Good news?" Bella echoed him. "I could do with some right now. Spill."

"I've sorted out your school thing."

"You have?" Bella asked curiously. "How?"

"Dad pulled a few strings. You remember he and old Principal Greene go way back…"

"They're old friends." Bella remembered.

"That's right. And Mr, Greene owes my dad a few favours. As from tomorrow you are looking at Forks High's newest student." Jacob boasted.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Bella asked hopefully.

"I enrol tomorrow. You have your own personal bodyguard, baby." Jacob laughed. "What time do you want me to pick you up?"

_**A/N-thanks for reading!**_


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